Heart failure patients who started an aerobic exercise program reported better quality of life after three months, though the activity only modestly reduced their risk of being hospitalized or dying over two and a half years, researchers have found.
The results appear to resolve the question of whether it is safe for medically stable patients with heart failure to engage in physical activity, since participants in the exercise group were no more likely to suffer an adverse event than those who were not exercising. Patients with heart failure have traditionally been told to rest, but that recommendation is changing in light of evidence that suggests physical activity is beneficial and may even increase survival rates in some patients.
Two studies, to be published Wednesday in The Journal of the American Medical Association, report data from a controlled clinical trial sponsored by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. One analysis found that exercise improved overall well-being, while the other found that it slightly reduced the risk of hospital admissions and death.
Dr. Christopher M. O’Connor, the principal investigator of the trial and director of the Duke Heart Center at the Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, N.C., said: “The message for the average heart failure patient is: ‘We believe there are benefits from exercise. Quality of life is important, and physical fitness is important.”
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