Cardiac hemodynamic responses to exercise training in patients with coronary heart disease

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background In coronary heart disease (CHD) patients, tailored training programs are strongly recommended to decrease cardiovascular mortality but factors responsible for a positive response to training remain unclear. The aim of this study was to compare cardiac hemodynamic parameters changes after a training program in CHD patients, according to the training responder’s status. Methods 72 CHD patients (78% males, 63±9y) were recruited to perform a 12-week training consisting in a combination of endurance and endurance sessions. Patients underwent 2 cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) using a ramp protocol (10 to 15 W/min) on a cycle ergometer pre- and post-training. Hemodynamic parameters (e.g., cardiac output (CO), cardiac index (CI), stroke volume (SV), systemic vascular resistance (SVR)) were measured by bioimpedance, and CPET parameters (e.g., peak oxygen uptake (O2peak)) were also measured pre- and post-training. Results Patients were divided in 2 groups (responders-R and non-responders-NR) according to the median change in O2peak. In the R group, O2peak (+16.8%, p < 0.001), CO, CI and SV increased by16.6%, 16.8% and 13.0%, respectively (p < 0.01) after the training program. In the NR group, O2peak, CO, CI and SV increased by 0.48%, 5.12%, 8.07% and 5.75%, respectively (p < 0.01). The SVR decreased in both groups (-19.0% in R and -11.4% in NR, p < 0.001). Conclusion The R group of CHD patients showed better improvement in cardiac hemodynamic and CPET parameters after a 12-week training program than NR. Further studies are needed to determine the best way to individualize training programs for the non-responders.