Non-invasive AESCULON mini measurements correlated with BNP and exercise capacity; increased cardiac output during exercise linked to higher peak VO2 in cardiac rehab patients.
Does non-invasive hemodynamic monitoring with the AESCULON mini correlate with BNP and exercise capacity in patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation?
Non-invasive hemodynamic monitoring using the AESCULON mini correlates with BNP and exercise capacity, suggesting it is a practical tool for estimating exercise capacity and detecting heart failure progression during cardiac rehabilitation.
Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) improves exercise capacity, but frequent cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is impractical. The AESCULON mini enables non-invasive hemodynamic monitoring, though its role in CR remains unclear. Eleven patients (6 myocardial infarction, 3 angina pectoris, 2 dilated cardiomyopathy) undergoing outpatient CR at the University of Tokyo Hospital were studied. Hemodynamics were measured using the AESCULON mini before and after 20 min of aerobic exercise at the anaerobic threshold. CPET and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) were assessed within 2 weeks. Stroke volume, cardiac output, and cardiac index tended to increase, and thoracic fluid content (TFC) decreased post-exercise. TFC before (r = 0.767, p = 0.006) and after (r = 0.711, p = 0.014) correlated with BNP. Changes in stroke volume and cardiac output correlated with peak VO2, percent predicted peak VO2, and ΔVO2/ΔWR. Patients with increased cardiac output during exercise had higher peak VO2 and ΔVO2/ΔWR. Non-invasive hemodynamic data from the AESCULON mini correlated with BNP and exercise capacity, suggesting its usefulness for detecting heart failure progression and estimating exercise capacity in CR.
Fujiwara et al. (2026) studied this question. Non-invasive AESCULON mini measurements correlated with BNP and exercise capacity; increased cardiac output during exercise linked to higher peak VO2 in cardiac rehab patients.