Usefulness and clinical relevance of left ventricular global longitudinal systolic strain in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

In recent years, several studies have shown the usefulness and clinical relevance of left ventricular global longitudinal systolic strain (GLS) in different cardiovascular diseases. In line with this, the role of GLS in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) has achieved great importance in this predominant form of heart failure in the last years. In this regard, GLS has shown to be not only a sensitive parameter to detect subtle myocardial abnormalities but also a parameter of clinical and prognostic relevance in patients with HFpEF. In this review, we analyze the current evidence concerning the clinical relevance of GLS in patients with HFpEF and we discuss the potential usefulness of GLS in this complex and heterogeneous condition for which so far no effective therapy exists.