BACKGROUND:Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) and its surgical repair are associated with alterations in right ventricular systolic and diastolic functions. The cardiopulmonary baroreflex describes the peripheral vasoconstriction response to the volume-unloading deactivation of left and possibly right ventricular receptors. Alterations in cardiac geometry or distensibility and pulmonary vasculature of operated TOF may affect the mechanical stimulation of sensitive cardiopulmonary receptors leading to an impaired baroreflex function. There has to date been no report on the integrity of baroreflex function in postoperative TOF.OBJECTIVE:To characterize the combined cardiopulmonary and baroreflex response of patients successfully operated for TOF in early childhood to central volume unloading using graded lower body negative pressure (LBNP) application.METHODS:Fifteen patients operated on for TOF (mean+/-SEM) 15.7+/-1.4 years previously and 13 healthy age-matched control subjects were submitted to four consecutive 5 min LBNP applications at -10, -20, -30 and -40 mmHg. Forearm blood flow and vascular resistance, left ventricle end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD), arterial blood pressure and heart rate were obtained.RESULTS:TOF exhibited a lower LVEDD (42.7+/-1.5 mm) than control subjects (51.9+/-1.6). The forearm vascular resistance to LVEDD relationship was shifted left and upward in TOF compared with that of control subjects, but the slope of the relationship was not different between groups. LBNP -40 mmHg induced a lesser change in heart rate in TOF (+10.6+/-1.5%) than in control subjects (+14.7 +/-2.4%) and an increase (P<0.05) in diastolic blood pressure in TOF (-2.4+/-2.5%), which was not seen in control subjects (+4.3+/-2.9%).CONCLUSIONS:Young adults successfully operated on for TOF in early childhood exhibit a resetting of the cardiopulmonary baroreflex to operate at smaller LVEDD and at a higher level of forearm vascular resistance. The blunted heart rate response to LBNP -40 mmHg is consistent with previous observations pointing to disturbances in the efferent arm of the baroreflex.

This study compares the autonomic responses of 9 adolescents (mean ± SEM: 17±1 years) successfully operated for tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) in early childhood and 8 age-matched healthy controls (CTRL) using R-R and blood pressure variability. Continuous ECG and BP recordings were obtained during spontaneous and controlled respiration (CR) at 0.20 Hz as well as after an 85° head-up tilt (HUT) and during steady-state cycling at heart rates of 100 and 120 bpm, selected to reflect partial and complete cardiac vagal withdrawal. TOF exhibited total R-R variance and HF power (ms2) lower than CTRL under both spontaneous (938 ± 322 vs. 1,714 ± 296) and CR (1,541 ± 527 vs. 4,725 ± 1,207; p < .05), which may be indicative of a lower cardiac vagal activity. HUT decreased the R-R HF component, which remained lower in TOF than CTRL and increased the diastolic BP LF component in TOF but not in CTRL. Exercise decreased the R-R HF power more in TOF than CTRL. The exaggerated diastolic BP and limited heart rate responses to tilting and the more marked vagal withdrawal at Ex120 in TOF may be suggestive of a disturbance in the cardiac sympathetic response. Further studies are needed to confirm these observations on larger groups of young adults successfully operated for TOF.

Objectives. The purpose of this study was to characterize peripheral flea kinetics in response to progressive discontinuous maximal exercise in 10 patients who underwent repair of coarctation of the aorta and 11 age matched healthy adolescents.Background. An impairment of leg blood flow has been suggested on the basis of exaggerated femoral muscle lactate accumulation in patients with successful repair of coarctation. Few data are available describing blood flow kinetics of the exercising leg in such patients.Methods. Duplex ultrasound provided transcutaneous measurements of peak systolic and end-diastolic flow velocities of the femoral, humeral and renal arteries at rest and immediately after mild, moderate and maximal exercise intensities for computation of mean velocity, resistance index and femoral blood flow.Results. Femoral mean velocity and femoral blood how increased linearly with exercise intensity in both groups, but the slope of this increase was significantly lower in patients. humeral mean velocity increased significantly less in patients than in control subjects, Femoral resistance index sharply decreased from that at rest (patients [mean +/- SE] 1.4 +/- 0.04; control subjects 1.4 +/- 0.03) to mild exercise intensity in both groups (patients 0.69 +/- 0.03; control subjects 0.72 +/- 0.03). A further decrease was observed at maximal exercise in patients (0.60 +/- 0.04, p = 0.08) but not in control subjects (0.69 +/- 0.02).Conclusions. These observations suggest that despite a greater exercise induced femoral vasodilation, patients with successful correction of coarctation of the aorta demonstrate an impaired lower limb blood flow in response to strenuous dynamic exercise. In the absence of stenosis at rest, this alteration could result from exaggerated flow turbulence in the descending aorta distal to the site of correction because of loss of elasticity at the site of the resection of the coarcted segment.