OBJECTIVE: Reactive hyperemia is the compensatory increase in blood flow that occurs after a period of tissue ischemia, and this response is blunted in patients with cardiovascular risk factors. The predictive value of reactive hyperemia for cardiovascular events in patients with atherosclerosis and the relative importance of reactive hyperemia compared with other measures of vascular function have not been previously studied. METHODS AND RESULTS: We prospectively measured reactive hyperemia and brachial artery flow-mediated dilation by ultrasound in 267 patients with peripheral arterial disease referred for vascular surgery (age 66+/-11 years, 26% female). Median follow-up was 309 days (range 1 to 730 days). Fifty patients (19%) had an event, including cardiac death (15), myocardial infarction (18), unstable angina (8), congestive heart failure (6), and nonhemorrhagic stroke (3). Patients with an event were older and had lower hyperemic flow velocity (75+/-39 versus 95+/-50 cm/s, P=0.009). Patients with an event also had lower flow-mediated dilation (4.5+/-3.0 versus 6.9+/-4.6%, P<0.001), and when these 2 measures of vascular function were included in the same Cox proportional hazards model, lower hyperemic flow (OR 2.7, 95% CI 1.2 to 5.9, P=0.018) and lower flow-mediated dilation (OR 4.2, 95% CI: 1.8 to 9.8, P=0.001) both predicted cardiovascular events while adjusting for other risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: Thus, lower reactive hyperemia is associated with increased cardiovascular risk in patients with peripheral arterial disease. Furthermore, flow-mediated dilation and reactive hyperemia incrementally relate to cardiovascular risk, although impaired flow-mediated dilation was the stronger predictor in this population. These findings further support the clinical relevance of vascular function measured in the microvasculature and conduit arteries in the upper extremity.
OBJECTIVE: Reactive hyperemia is the compensatory increase in blood flow that occurs after a period of tissue ischemia, and this response is blunted in patients with cardiovascular risk factors. The predictive value of reactive hyperemia for cardiovascular events in patients with atherosclerosis and the relative importance of reactive hyperemia compared with other measures of vascular function have not been previously studied. METHODS AND RESULTS: We prospectively measured reactive hyperemia and brachial artery flow-mediated dilation by ultrasound in 267 patients with peripheral arterial disease referred for vascular surgery (age 66+/-11 years, 26% female). Median follow-up was 309 days (range 1 to 730 days). Fifty patients (19%) had an event, including cardiac death (15), myocardial infarction (18), unstable angina (8), congestive heart failure (6), and nonhemorrhagic stroke (3). Patients with an event were older and had lower hyperemic flow velocity (75+/-39 versus 95+/-50 cm/s, P=0.009). Patients with an event also had lower flow-mediated dilation (4.5+/-3.0 versus 6.9+/-4.6%, P<0.001), and when these 2 measures of vascular function were included in the same Cox proportional hazards model, lower hyperemic flow (OR 2.7, 95% CI 1.2 to 5.9, P=0.018) and lower flow-mediated dilation (OR 4.2, 95% CI: 1.8 to 9.8, P=0.001) both predicted cardiovascular events while adjusting for other risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: Thus, lower reactive hyperemia is associated with increased cardiovascular risk in patients with peripheral arterial disease. Furthermore, flow-mediated dilation and reactive hyperemia incrementally relate to cardiovascular risk, although impaired flow-mediated dilation was the stronger predictor in this population. These findings further support the clinical relevance of vascular function measured in the microvasculature and conduit arteries in the upper extremity.
Authors: F Perticone; R Ceravolo; A Pujia; G Ventura; S Iacopino; A Scozzafava; A Ferraro; M Chello; P Mastroroberto; P Verdecchia; G Schillaci Journal: Circulation Date: 2001-07-10 Impact factor: 29.690
Authors: Noyan Gokce; John F Keaney; Liza M Hunter; Michael T Watkins; James O Menzoian; Joseph A Vita Journal: Circulation Date: 2002-04-02 Impact factor: 29.690
Authors: Melissa A H Witman; Ryan S Garten; Jayson R Gifford; H Jonathan Groot; Joel D Trinity; Josef Stehlik; Jose N Nativi; Craig H Selzman; Stavros G Drakos; Russell S Richardson Journal: JACC Heart Fail Date: 2015-08-12 Impact factor: 12.035
Authors: Elizabeth C Schroeder; Thessa I M Hilgenkamp; Wesley K Lefferts; Nadia Robinson; Tracy Baynard; Bo Fernhall Journal: Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol Date: 2019-09-25 Impact factor: 3.619
Authors: Stephen J Ives; Ryan A Harris; Melissa A H Witman; Anette S Fjeldstad; Ryan S Garten; John McDaniel; D Walter Wray; Russell S Richardson Journal: Hypertension Date: 2013-12-09 Impact factor: 10.190
Authors: Mary M McDermott; Philip Ades; Jack M Guralnik; Alan Dyer; Luigi Ferrucci; Kiang Liu; Miriam Nelson; Donald Lloyd-Jones; Linda Van Horn; Daniel Garside; Melina Kibbe; Kathryn Domanchuk; James H Stein; Yihua Liao; Huimin Tao; David Green; William H Pearce; Joseph R Schneider; David McPherson; Susan T Laing; Walter J McCarthy; Adhir Shroff; Michael H Criqui Journal: JAMA Date: 2009-01-14 Impact factor: 56.272
Authors: Boris Schnorbus; Robert Schiewe; Mir Abolfazl Ostad; Christoph Medler; Daniel Wachtlin; Philip Wenzel; Andreas Daiber; Thomas Münzel; Ascan Warnholtz Journal: Clin Res Cardiol Date: 2009-12-02 Impact factor: 5.460