Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Dec 1;5(4):102-108.
doi: 10.22540/JFSF-05-102. eCollection 2020 Dec.

Are the group-based interventions improving the functional exercise capacity and quality of life of frail subjects with chronic heart failure?

Jannis Vasileios Papathanasiou  1   2
Affiliations

Are the group-based interventions improving the functional exercise capacity and quality of life of frail subjects with chronic heart failure?

Jannis Vasileios Papathanasiou. J Frailty Sarcopenia Falls. .

Abstract

Objectives: Frail subjects with chronic heart failure (CHF) often demonstrate limited tolerance of exertion, shortness of breath, and reduced walking capacity resulting poor quality of life (QoL). The aim of this study was to quantify the improvements in functional exercise capacity (FEC) and QoL among Bulgarian frail subjects with CHF performed group-based high-intensity aerobic interval training (HIAIT)/m-Ullevaal intervention and to compare it with moderate intensity continuous training (MICT) protocol.

Methods: One hundred and twenty (n=120) frail subjects with mean age of 63.73±6.68 years, in CHF and NYHA class II-IIIB, were enrolled in the single-center, prospective, two-arm randomized controlled clinical trial conducted at the Medical Center for Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine-I-Plovdiv. The baseline assessment included 6-minute walk test (6ΜWT), peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak), modified Borg Perceived Exertion Scale (mBPES), and Minnesota living with the Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ).

Results: The improvement in 6MWT (P<0.001), VO2peak (P<0.001), mBPES (P<0.001), and MLHFQ (P<0.001) observed among frail subjects performed HIAIT/m-Ullevaal intervention was significantly greater compared to the improvement observed in the subjects performed MICT protocol (P<0.001).

Conclusions: The group-based HIAIT/m-Ullevaal intervention is a new perspective and challenge for both, Bulgarian cardiac rehabilitation (CR), and frail patients with CHF.

Keywords: Chronic heart failure; Frailty; Group-based; Rehabilitation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The author has no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart of the study.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Bergman H, Ferrucci L, Guralnik J, Hogan DB, Hummel S, et al. Frailty:an emerging research and clinical paradigm - issues and controversies. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2007;62(7):731–7. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kehler DS, Giacomantonio N, Firth W, Blanchard CM, Rockwood K, et al. Association Between Cardiac Rehabilitation and Frailty. Can J Cardiol. 2020;36(4):482–489. - PubMed
    1. Goldwater DS, Pinney SP. Frailty in Advanced Heart Failure:A Consequence of Aging or a Separate Entity? Clin Med Insights Cardiol. 2015;9(Suppl 2):39–46. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Khan H, Kalogeropoulos AP, Georgiopoulou VV, Newman AB, Harris TB, et al. Frailty and risk for heart failure in older adults:the health, aging, and body composition study. Am Heart J. 2013;166:887–94. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Moradi M, Daneshi F, Behzadmehr R, Hosien R, Salehoddin B, et al. Quality of life of chronic heart failure patients:a systematic review and meta-analysis. Heart Fail Rev. 2019 Nov 19; doi:10.1007/s10741-019-09890-2. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources