Title:The Role of Exercise-based Cardiac Rehabilitation in Heart Failure
Volume: 29
Issue: 7
Author(s): Jeanne Shan Yin Ong, Weiqin Lin and Tee Joo Yeo*
Affiliation:
- Department of Cardiology, National University Heart Centre, Singapore
Keywords:
Exercise training, exercise capacity, ejection fraction, myocardial function, quality of life, mortality.
Abstract: Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (EBCR) is a treatment modality for patients with heart failure
(HF) that has withstood the test of time. It has continued to show benefits even in the current era of pharmacotherapeutics
for HF. Participation in a multidisciplinary comprehensive EBCR programme reduces mortality
and morbidity, has a multitude of physiological benefits, and improves cardiovascular risk factor control and
quality of life. Despite this, historical barriers to enrolment and uptake remain. Strategies to overcome these, as
well as alternative delivery methods of EBCR in HF patients, are emerging and include telerehabilitation, focus
on special groups and emphasis on behavioural change. This review provides oversight on the modalities of exercise
training in HF as well as their benefits and gives an overview of barriers to the utilisation of EBCR along
with future progress in the field.
