Effects of exercise rehabilitation in aged patients with chronic heart failure / 心血管康复医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective: To explore safety and effects of exercise rehabilitation in aged patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). Methods: A total of 83 aged CHF patients were randomly divided into exercise rehabilitation group (n=42, received exercise training based on usual care) and usual care group (n=41, received usual care). Period of treatment was eight weeks and patients were followed up for 12 months. New York heart association (NYHA) classification was used to represent cardiac function. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular end-diastolic dimension (LVEDd) were determined by ultrasound cardiography, 6 min walking distance (6MWD) and oxygen metabolic equivalent (METs) also were determined , plasma level of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) was examined. Minnesota living with heart failure questionnaire (MLHFQ) was used to represent quality of life. Rehospitalization rate and mortality rate within 12 months were recorded in all patients. Results: On 8 th weeks after treatment, the LVEF, LVEDd and NYHA class of two groups all significantly improved（P＜0.05 all）,compared with usual care group, there were significant improvement in LVEF [（54.7±6.2）% vs. 65.4±8.7）%], LVEDd [（49.6±8.3）mm vs.（40.2±9.3）mm] and NYHA class [（2.7±0.8）classes vs.（1.9±0.9）classes], P<0.05 all; 6MWD [(122.7±9.2) m vs. (175.6±8.7) m] and METs [(5.8±1.8) vs. (8.4±2.4)] also significantly increased (P<0.01), and plasma level of BNP [(43.4±9.8) pg/ml vs. (31.7±8.9) pg/ml, P<0.05] significantly decreased in exercise rehabilitation group. No severe adverse events occurred in exercise rehabilitation group. After 12 months, compared with usual care group, there were significant increase in MLHFQ score [(45.6±8.2) scores vs. (68.9±7.9) scores], significant decrease in rehospitalization rate caused by heart failure (24.4% vs. 9.5%) , P<0.05 all in exercise rehabilitation group. Conclusion: Exercise rehabilitation is safe and effective in aged patients with chronic heart failure, which can significantly improve cardiac function, enhance exercise capacity and increase quality of life.