Subject(s)
Cardiomyopathies , Chagas Cardiomyopathy , Heart Failure , Humans , Male , Female , Heart Failure/etiology , Chagas Cardiomyopathy/complications , Sex Characteristics , PrognosisABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The effect of home-based exercise training on neurovascular control in heart failure patients is unknown. AIMS: To test the hypothesis that home-based training would maintain the reduction in muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) and forearm vascular resistance (FVR) acquired after supervised training. METHODS AND RESULTS: Twenty-nine patients (54+/-1.9 years, EF<40%) were randomised into two groups: untrained control (n=12) and exercise trained (n=17). Both groups underwent assessment of Quality of Life (QoL), MSNA, and forearm blood flow. The exercise group underwent a 4-month supervised training program followed by 4 months of home-based training. After the initial 4 months of training, patients in the exercise group showed a significant increase in peak VO(2) and reduction in MSNA, compared to the untrained group, but this was not maintained during 4 months of home-based training. In contrast, the decrease in FVR (56+/-3 vs. 46+/-4 vs. 40+/-2 U, p=0.008) and the improvement in QOL that were achieved during supervised training were maintained during home-based training. CONCLUSIONS: Home-based training following supervised training is a safe strategy to maintain improvements in QoL and reduction in FVR in chronic heart failure patients, but is an inadequate strategy to maintain fitness as estimated by peak VO(2) or reduction in neurohumoral activation.
Subject(s)
Arm/blood supply , Arm/innervation , Exercise Therapy , Exercise/physiology , Heart Diseases/physiopathology , Heart Diseases/therapy , Adult , Female , Humans , Male , Middle AgedABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: This study determined whether serial determinations of cardiac troponin T (cTnT) in decompensated heart failure (HF) are predictive of clinical events (death, need for readmission for new episode of HF decompensation, or both) during 1 year of follow-up. METHODS AND RESULTS: Sixty-two patients with decompensated HF were enrolled in this cohort. The first measurement of cTnT (cTnT1) was from a blood sample drawn within 4 days of hospital admission; the second measurement (cTnT2) was on blood obtained 7 days later. Forty-nine clinical events (16 deaths, 10 readmissions, 23 combined readmission and deaths) occurred during the follow-up. The independent predictors of clinical events were: cTnT1>.020 ng/mL (P<.050), cTnT2>.020 ng/mL (P<.050), and serum sodium<135 mEq/L (P<.050). Based on levels of cTnT1 and cTnT2>.020 ng/mL (+) or .020 ng/mL) are predictive of higher rates of death and hospital readmission for decompensated HF.
