| Objective: To explore the effectiveness and safety of high intensity interval training (HIIT)/medium intensity continuous training (MCT) in patients with chronic heart failure. Methods: 254 patients with chronic heart failure were randomly assigned to HIIT, MCT and routine exercise (RRE) groups with a ratio of 1:1:1. All patients were trained for 12 weeks and followed up to 52 weeks. The changes of left ventricular end diastolic diameter (LVEDD) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) from baseline to 12 weeks and 52 weeks were compared by echocardiography. The changes of peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) and respiratory quotient at maximum oxygen uptake were compared by cardiopulmonary exercise test. Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and general mood scale (GMS) were used to assess the quality of life and the safety of exercise training. Completeness was assessed by the rate of serious adverse events (SAE). Results: From baseline to 12 weeks, there was no significant difference in the changes of LVEDD between HIIT group and MCT group, while the change of LVEDD in the HIIT group was significantly greater than that in the RRE group (P＜0.05). The change of VO2peak in the HIIT group was significantly greater than that in the RRE group (P＜0.05), while the changes of LVEF and respiratory quotient at maximal oxygen uptake showed no statistically significant difference. From baseline to 52 weeks, there was no significant difference in LVEDD, LVEF, VO2peak and respiratory quotient at maximal oxygen uptake. At baseline, 12 weeks and 52 weeks, there was no significant difference among the three groups in the quality of life assessment. During the follow-up period, there was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of SAE among the three groups. Conclusion: HIIT and MCT, two different training programs, can benefit patients. Exercise training can reverse left ventricular remodeling, but there is no significant difference between them in improving LVEDD. Both exercise programs can improve the VO2peak of patients, which is ofpositive significance for the prognosis of chronic heart failure patients. In addition, the security of HIIT and MCT has no obvious disadvantage compared with RRE. |
