Effects of exercise on activity tolerance and life quality after heart failure for patients with a preserved ejection fraction

Objective To observe the effect of individualized exercise programs on the activity tolerance and life quality of heart failure patients with a preserved ejection fraction. Methods Heart failure patients with a preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) were randomized to an exercise training group (n=55) or a control group (n=53). Both groups were given optimized heart failure drug therapy, while the exercise training group was additionally provided with individualized exercise training. The LVEFs, 6-minute walking distances (6MWDs), Minnesota living with heart failure questionnaire (MLHFQ) scores and adverse events were noted before the experiment and after 12 months of the intervention. Results After one year, no significant differences were found in the groups′ average LVEFs or in the incidence of adverse events, while the average 6MWD and the average MLHFQ score of the exercise training group were significantly better than those of the control group. The average MLHFQ score decrease (7.8 points) was statistically and practically significant. Conclusion Individualized exercise training can significantly improve the activity tolerance and quality of life of patients with a preserved ejection fraction. It is safe, but the impacts on the ejection fraction are small. Key words: Exercise; Heart failure; Activity tolerance; Quality of life