LAUSR

Renal transplant recipients (RTR) patients are at elevated risk for cardiac dysfunction prior to transplantation due to existing comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, and sedentary behavior [1], and are at increased cardiovascular (CV) mortality risk following surgery due to multiple drug therapies, immunosuppression, and further physical inactivity following surgery [2]. As such, early detection of cardiac pathology and monitoring of function is warranted in order to provide safe and appropriate therapy. Among the non-invasive methods to assess myocardial function, echocardiographic strain is increasingly recognized as an effective technique to investigate cardiac performance. Global longitudinal strain (GLS) has been demonstrated to be the most direct, valid and reliable tool for the assessment of left ventricular (LV) function [3], and may also be used to identify sub-clinical LV dysfunction in potential cardiomyopathies [4]. To date, there are no data available regarding the clinical application of strain assessment in the post-transplant setting, specifically for patients who are participating in longterm moderate intensity exercise programs. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the myocardial strain pattern changes in a group of RTR who were participating in a year-long, supervised exercise program. Methods