Retrospective study. Patients were recruited by database from Rehabilitation Unit of Cardiovascular Rehabilitation and Exercise Physiology of the Heart Institute (InCor). The aim of this study is to assess the effects of exercise training on sympathetic modulation and arterial baroreflex control in patients with chronic heart failure. The investigators studied twenty-six chronic heart failure outpatients, age 30 to 70 years, functional class II to III of New York Heart Association, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤40% and peak oxygen uptake (VO2) ≤20. The exclusion criteria were recent myocardial infarction or unstable angina (<3 months), heart failure duration (<3 months), permanent pacemaker dependence, atrial fibrillation, skeletal muscle abnormality (e.g., arthritis) and participation in a regular exercise program. They were assigned to 2 groups: Untrained (n=13) and trained (n=13).
The purpose of this study is to verify the effects of exercise training on sympathetic modulation and arterial baroreflex control in patients with chronic heart failure.