Relation of Systemic Venous Return, Pulmonary Vascular Resistance, and Diastolic Dysfunction to Exercise Capacity in Patients With Single Ventricle Receiving Fontan Palliation

Fontan patients have a reduced exercise capacity, primarily owing to limitations in the ability to augment pulmonary blood flow and stroke volume. To date, the mechanism of peak exercise pulmonary blood flow restriction has not been elucidated. We performed a single-center, prospective, crossover trial of supine and upright exercise in Fontan patients and healthy controls to determine the mechanisms of exercise limitation in the Fontan-palliated...