Arterial stiffness and left ventricular performance in elderly patients with persistent atrial fibrillation

Background The prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) and arterial stiffness (AS) increases with age. Aims To evaluate if AS is correlated to longitudinal strain (LS), a marker of left ventricular (LV) function, in elderly AF patients with preserved ejection fraction (EF) undergoing external cardioversion. Methods AS was measured using the cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI), LS was calculated from echocardiographic data of three consecutive cardiac cycles. Results We enrolled 38 patients (age 76 ± 8 years; men 60.5%; EF 65 ± 7%). LS and CAVI were, respectively, − 17.7 ± 3.7% and 9.7 ± 1.3. Multivariate analysis showed that LV performance was inversely related to height ( p < 0.001) and to the presence of AF-related symptoms ( p = 0.008). LS grew with increasing values of CAVI ( p = 0.038). Conclusions In elderly AF patients with preserved systolic function, LV performance is directly associated with AS. This link could influence atrium remodeling and the incidence of arrhythmia relapse.