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(Effects of exercise training on the improvement of cardiac function and exercise endurance in patients with chronic heart failure) [Chinese - simplified characters]
Zhao X-J
Zhongguo Linchuang Kangfu [Chinese Journal of Clinical Rehabilitation] 2005 Apr 28;9(16):170-171
clinical trial
7/10 [Eligibility criteria: Yes; Random allocation: Yes; Concealed allocation: Yes; Baseline comparability: Yes; Blind subjects: No; Blind therapists: No; Blind assessors: No; Adequate follow-up: Yes; Intention-to-treat analysis: Yes; Between-group comparisons: Yes; Point estimates and variability: Yes. Note: Eligibility criteria item does not contribute to total score] *This score has been confirmed*

AIM: To observe the changes of cardiac function and exercise endurance after exercise training in elderly patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). METHODS: Eighty CHF patients at 55 to 76 years of age, who were hospitalized in the Department of Cardiology, Shenyang Fifth People's Hospital between January 2002 and January 2004, were randomly divided into training group (n = 40) and control group (n = 40). Patients in both groups were treated with regular drug therapy, besides those in the training group took part in exercise training under the instruction of physicians: the amount of exercise was added gradually with the stablization of disease, each degree of exercise intensity (2.0 to 3.0, 3.0 to 4.0, 4.0 to 5.0, 5.0 to 6.0 METs) was kept for two weeks in principle, the patients could come to the next degree if they were not unwell, and they should stop at this degree if they felt burdensome or had problems during exercise. The mode of exercise was walking, and the exercise intensity was adjusted with gait speed and walking distance. All the patient received 6-minute walking test and echocardiography (ECG) at hospitalization and two months after intervention, their left ventricular diameter, left ventricular fractional shortening and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) were determined. RESULTS: According to intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis, all the 80 CHF patients were involved in the final analysis of results. Two months after intervention, 6-minute walking distance in the training group (490 +/- 36 m) was obviously longer than that at hospitalization (406 +/- 40 m) and that in the control group (411 +/- 34 m) (t = 2.43, 2.21, p < 0.05); LVEF in the training group (40.1 +/- 5.2%) was remarkably higher than that at hospitalization (30.4 +/- 6.7%) and that in the control group (27.9 +/- 5.0%) (t = 1.89, 2.11, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Moderate exercise training can ameliorate the left ventricular cardiac function of CHF patients and improve significantly their exercise endurance.

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