Heart and Mind (Jan 2023)

The therapeutic role of exercise training in heart failure patients: A narrative review

  • Ageliki Laina,
  • Stergios Soulaidopoulos,
  • Ioannis Doundoulakis,
  • Petros Arsenos,
  • Athanasios Kordalis,
  • Panagiotis Xydis,
  • Anastasia Xintarakou,
  • Charalampos Kalantzis,
  • Christina Chrysohoou,
  • Polychronis Dilaveris,
  • Stefanos Archontakis,
  • Helias Sotiropoulos,
  • Skevos Sideris,
  • Lila Sklavi Gatzouli,
  • Konstantinos Tsioufis,
  • Konstantinos Athanasios Gatzoulis

DOI
https://doi.org/10.4103/hm.hm_23_22
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 7, no. 1
pp. 25 – 33

Abstract

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Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is a complex intervention that improves functional capacity and quality of life in patients with heart failure (HF). Besides exercise training (ET), CR includes aggressive risk factor management, education about medication adherence, stress management, and psychological support. Current guidelines strongly recommend CR as an integral part of chronic and stable HF patient care. However, CR programs are underused for multiple reasons, namely, low physician referral and patient adherence, high cost, and lack of awareness. In this review, we present existing evidence of the beneficial effects of ET and CR in HF with reduced and preserved ejection fraction, the underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms by which exercise might alleviate symptoms, and the different types of exercise that can be used in HF. Current guidelines supporting the use of CR, reasons for its underutilization, and home-based CR as an alternative or adjunct to traditional center-based programs are also described.

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