Reduced Right Ventricular Output Reserve in Patients With Systemic Sclerosis and Mildly Elevated Pulmonary Artery Pressure

Abstract

The results of this study suggest that impaired 6-minute walking distance in SSc patients with mildly elevated mean PAP might be caused by reduced PAC during exercise and reduced right ventricular output reserve, presumably due to impaired coupling between the right ventricle and the pulmonary vasculature. These findings provide further evidence of the clinical relevance of mildly elevated mean PAP in patients with SSc.