AIM: To study the characteristics of cerebral and cardiac hemodynamic changes in patients with cerebral infarction (CI) before and after seawater physical exercise. METHODS: Seventeen CI reconvalescents, who had seawater physical exercise for 1 month with 4 courses (physical exercise group), were enrolled. Other sixteen CI reconvalescents were asked to take a walk and rest for 1 month (recuperating group), and 33 healthy adults at same age stage were selected as controls. Left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF), fractional shortening (FS), the ratio of early to late peak mitral diastolic flow (E/A ratio), mean blood velocity (Vm), resistant index (RI) and pulsitive index (PI) were measured in all the 66 subjects by ultrasound before and after convalescent care. RESULTS: Before convalescent care, LVEF, FS and E/A were significantly decreased in the CI group as compared with those in the control group (p < 0.01), Vm was 25.16 +/- 0.72 m/s for the CI patients, slower than that in the control group (36.21 +/- 0.70 m/s) (t = -12.199, p < 0.01), and RI and PI were significantly higher (p < 0.01). These markers were improved in the physical exercise group before and after rehabilitation exercise (p < 0.01), but there were no significant changes in the recuperating group (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The circulatory function of CI reconvalescents is inferior to that of the healthy adults at the same age stage. Cerebral and cardiac hemodynamics can be improved as well as hemodynamic markers through certain courses of seawater physical exercise, which is beneficial to the recovery from CI.

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