PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Andreas Guenther
AU  - Fotios Drakopanagiotakis
AU  - Carlo Vancheri
AU  - Philippe Bonniaud
AU  - Athol Wells
AU  - Bruno Crestani
TI  - Six-minute walk test desaturation and echocardiographic findings in IPF: Correlational observations made in the European IPF registry (eurIPFreg)
DP  - 2014 Sep 01
TA  - European Respiratory Journal
PG  - P761
VI  - 44
IP  - Suppl 58
4099  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/44/Suppl_58/P761.short
4100  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/44/Suppl_58/P761.full
SO  - Eur Respir J2014 Sep 01; 44
AB  - BackgroundIdiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic lung disorder of unknown origin, which ultimately leads to death. Echocardiography is a simple, although often inaccurate, screening method for the presence of PH. We examined the correlation between echocardiographic and functional parameters in patients with IPF.MethodsData from the eurIPFreg, a European Registry for IPF and other IIPs, were used. Echocardiographic data as reported in the physician´s questionnaire were collected and correlated with functional parameters.ResultsData from 243 patients with IPF with a mean age of 65,53± 13,82 years were analysed. The mean % predicted of FVC was 65,30 ± 23,39 and of DLCO 39,50 ±17,47. Right ventricle enlargement was reported in 23,5% and left ventricle enlargement in 11,1% of the patients, respectively. The median systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP) was 36 mm Hg. The median left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) was 63,50 %. sPAP negatively correlated with the FVC ( % pred);p=0,026), the DLCO (% pred;p < 0,001), the 6 minute walking test distance (p=0,010) and the difference in oxygen saturation(DSpO2; end versus beginning of 6MWT; p < 0,001). When patients with left ventricle enlargement and LVEF< 40% were excluded, sPAP correlated only with DLCO (p=0,002) and the DSpO2 (p=0,002). In a linear regression analysis model including age, gender, FVC, DLCO, DSpO2 and 6MWD, sPAP correlated only with DSpO2 (p< 0,001, R2= 0,235).ImplicationsThe degree of oxygen desaturation during the six minute walk test may be indicative of elevated sPAP in IPF patients.