The Effect of Exercise Training on Cardiac Structure and Function

Exercise training, as part of cardiac rehabilitation, is effective in improving functional capacity and quality of life in patients with coronary artery disease. Other cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular benefits have been reported, namely in glucose metabolism, skeletal muscle function, oxidative stress, vascular function, pulmonary circulation, ischaemia-reperfusion lesion and ventricular remodelling. However, the benefit of exercise training on systolic and diastolic function is controversial especially after acute myocardial infarction where no longitudinal study has evaluated diastolic function using modern echocardiographic parameters. The hypothesis is that a structured program of exercise training can improve systolic and diastolic function in patients after myocardial infarction.

8-week outpatient exercise-training program, encompassing 3 sessions per week, including endurance and resistance training

Ratio between early diastolic filling velocity from mitral inflow and myocardial early diastolic velocity at mitral annulus by tissue Doppler (E/E' ratio)

Inclusion Criteria: Patients one month after myocardial infarction Older 18 years Exclusion Criteria: Age above 75 years, Inability to exercise, Hemodinamically significant valvular disease, Moderate to severe chronic lung disease (vital capacity and/or forced expiratory volume in 1 s <80% of age-dependent predicted value), Atrial fibrillation Exercise induced myocardial ischemia Anaemia (haemoglobin <12 g/dl).

Fontes-Carvalho R, Sampaio F, Teixeira M, Gama V, Leite-Moreira AF. The role of a structured exercise training program on cardiac structure and function after acute myocardial infarction: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials. 2015 Mar 12;16:90. doi: 10.1186/s13063-015-0612-6.