Arterial stiffness and arterial function in adult cyanotic patients with congenital heart disease

Cyanotic patients with CHD are characterized by increased arterial stiffness estimated with pulse wave analysis parameters and by deteriorated arterial function expressed with worse vasodilatative response in comparison with healthy population. It may confirm relevance of those mechanisms in development of increased rate of cardiovascular events in this population. Association between oxygen saturation or polycythemia and arterial stiffening or vascular dysfunction was not found in these patients.