Exercise Training in Patients with Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension and Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Abstract

Of the 5 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) included, chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) patients constituted 20% of the overall pulmonary hypertension (PH) patient population. We did not find any RCTs that evaluated the role of exercise training in patients with CTEPH. The results of this study indicate that exercise training may be effective at improving exercise capacity, as measured by 6-min walk distance, in patients with PH. Another notable finding from this analysis is the lack of adverse events associated with exercise training, suggesting that contrary to widespread perception, exercise training is safe in CTEPH and PAH patients.

Keywords: CTEPH; Exercise training; Pulmonary hypertension.