The Impact of Varied Exercise Intensity in Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction

Neither high- nor intermediate-intensity exercise was superior to advice about physical activity.

Physical limitation is a cardinal symptom of heart failure. While endurance training can help improve peak oxygen consumption (peak VO₂) in individuals with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), how different exercise programs affect this population is not known.

Investigators in Europe enrolled 180 sedentary individuals (mean age, 70; 66% women; New York Heart Association class III symptoms, 26%) with symptomatic HFpEF (EF, ≥0.50, plus either echocardiographic evidence of elevated filling pressures or elevated natriuretic peptides). Participants were randomized to one of three exercise regimens: high-intensity interval training, moderate continuous training, or usual care (1 session of advice on guideline-recommended physic…

Reviewing Author

Frederick A. Masoudi, MD, MSPH, FACC, FAHA

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardBristol Myers Squibb; CPC Clinical Research

Grant/Research SupportNational Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Editorial BoardsUpToDate; American College of Cardiology Self-Assessment Program (SAP)

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican College of Cardiology (Chair, Innovations Committee)