Sarcopenia Magnetic Resonance Imaging Evaluation (SUSIE)

The goal of the proposed research is to investigate Magnetic Resonance (MR) Fingerprinting and P-MRS (Phosphorus-31 MR Spectroscopy) imaging for characterization of skeletal muscle in heart failure patients with sarcopenia. Heart failure patients with and without sarcopenia will be scanned using MR Fingerprinting and an existing Post-exercise phosphocreatine (PCr) recovery MR imaging protocol to obtain characteristic profiles of quantitative T1, T2, and PCr recovery rate.

Inclusion Criteria: * Heart failure patients * Age ≥40 yrs * Stable chronic heart failure * Systolic dysfunction determined by cardiac MRI with left ventricle ejection fraction 40% or less * Healthy Volunteers * Age ≥40 yrs * No diagnosed heart failure or sarcopenia Exclusion Criteria: * Heart failure patients • Advanced liver disease, advanced cancer, advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease * Healthy volunteers (controls) * Advanced liver disease, advanced cancer, advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease * Contraindications to MRI Contraindications to MRI * Heart pacemaker/defibrillator * Electronic/implanted stimulators or devices, including deep brain stimulator, vagus nerve stimulator, bladder stimulator, spine stimulator, neurostimulators; implanted electrodes or wires * Cochlear implant or other ear implants * Implanted drug pumps (insulin, narcotic/pain medications, drugs to treat spasticity) * Programmable shunt * Aneurysm clips and coils * Stents * Filters (for example, blood clot filters) * Metal fragment in body or eye (eg, BBs, bullets, shrapnel, metal pieces or shavings)