Effect of cardiac training therapy on minute ventilation/carbon dioxide production slope and exercise parameters in patients with severe chronic heart failure in short-time rehabilitation

Aim: Treatment for patients with severe chronic heart failure (CHF) (NYHA III, ejection fraction (EF) 2 slope u003e34 during exercise have been shown to be useful for mortability risk stratification in CHF. This analysis investigated the effects of 3 weeksu0027 cardiac rehabilitation (CR) on exercise parameters and VE/VCO2 slope in CHF patients. Materials and Methods: Data from 35 patients with CHF (age 68 ± 11 years, 3 female, EF 29 ± 7%, maximum oxygen uptake (VO 2 max) 10.8 ± 2.7 mL/min/kg, NYHA class III, all ischemic heart disease) on optimal medication who underwent CR including aerobic endurance training theraphy combined with low dose local muscle strength for 3 weeks were evaluated retrospectively using 6 -min walking test, echocardiography and exercise testing. Results: All patients showed improvement in NYHA class, improvement in 6-min walking distance (285 ± 113 m to 431 ± 120 m, P 2 max (10.8 to 12.9 ± 3.2 mL/kg, P 2 -slope (44.8 ± 9 to 37.1 ± 6, P Conclusion: CET for 3 weeks in severe CHF is associated with reduced VE/VCO2-slope and improved exercise capacity. Longer and randomized studies are needed to evaluate the role of VE/VCO 2 -slope in mortality risk stratification during training in CHF.