heart failure rehabilitation

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and extracorporeal life support (ECLS) devices are well-established adjunctive treatment measures for patients with heart failure. ECMO can serve as a bridge to transplant in a chronic setting or as a salvage therapy for patients who are unable to be weaned from bypass following cardiac surgery. However, the role of ECMO as a bridge to definitive therapy in a setting of acute heart failure is less established. Similarly, the treatment of patients using combined ECMO and ECLS devices has been, at times, shown to show some benefit; however, these benefits have not been widely studied...

Heart failure (HF) is a major cause of mortality worldwide. Cycling, an aerobic exercise, is believed to have a more effective rehabilitative impact on patients with heart failure. Previous studies have demonstrated the benefits of exercise in patients with HF. However, a precise causal relationship remains unknown. Two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) was used to investigate the potential causal relationship between regular cardiac cycling and heart failure (HF) development. Data from the IEU OpenGWAS project, an extensive genetic study involving a diverse group of European males and females was used to determine how choices related to physical activity, such as cycling, impact cardiovascular well-being...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is common in heart failure (HF), and it has a significant impact on the prognosis and quality of life of patients. Additionally, COPD is independently associated with lower adherence to first-line HF therapies. In this review, we outline the challenges of identifying and managing HF with preserved (HFpEF) and reduced (HFrEF) ejection fraction with coexisting COPD. RECENT FINDINGS: Spirometry is necessary for COPD diagnosis and prognosis but is underused in HF...

Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) provides important information for the assessment and management of patients with heart failure. This testing measures the respiratory and cardiac responses to exercise and allows measurement of the oxygen uptake (V˙O2 ) max and the relationship between minute ventilation (V˙E) and carbon dioxide excretion (V˙CO2 ). These two parameters help classify patients into categories that help predict prognosis, and patients with a V˙O2 < 14 mL/kg/min and V˙E/V˙CO2 slope >35 have a poor prognosis...

BACKGROUND: Adults with congenital heart defects (ACHD) globally constitute a notably medically underserved patient population. Despite therapeutic advancements, these individuals often confront substantial physical and psychosocial residua or sequelae, requiring specialized, integrative cardiological care throughout their lifespan. Heart failure (HF) is a critical challenge in this population, markedly impacting morbidity and mortality. AIMS: The primary aim of this study is to establish a comprehensive, prospective registry to enhance understanding and management of HF in ACHD...

AIMS: Adapting interventions with an existing evidence base offers a more efficient approach than development of a new intervention. The aim of this study was to describe the process of adapting a home-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programme (REACH-HF) intervention originally developed in the United Kingdom for people with heart failure (HF) to the Danish health system - the 'DK:REACH-HF' programme. METHODS AND RESULTS: We followed methodological framework for the conduct and reporting of studies adapting interventions, utilizing documentary analysis, qualitative interviews, stakeholder consultations, and mapping of the Danish policy context...

BACKGROUND: Belt electrode skeletal muscle electrical stimulation (B-SES) is an emerging therapy anticipated to yield more favorable outcomes than conventional neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES), owing to its larger stimulation area. However, information on its efficacy and safety in patients with heart failure remains limited. CASE PRESENTATION: A 43-year-old man with a body mass index of 41 kg/m2 was admitted to our hospital for acute heart failure due to dilated cardiomyopathy...

BACKGROUND: Intensive care unit-acquired weakness (ICU-AW) is a common complication that significantly impacts the patient's recovery process, even leading to adverse outcomes. Currently, there is a lack of effective preventive measures. AIM: To identify significant risk factors for ICU-AW through iterative machine learning techniques and offer recommendations for its prevention and treatment. METHODS: Patients were categorized into ICU-AW and non-ICU-AW groups on the 14th day post-ICU admission...

Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation is an effective alternative treatment to heart transplantation, especially for end-stage heart failure patients who are ineligible for or unable to await a heart transplant. This report describes a complex and innovative surgery where LVAD implantation was performed alongside multiple concomitant cardiac and aortic procedures. A 62-year-old male patient with complicated comorbidities developed acute myocardial infarction and subsequent refractory advanced heart failure...

PURPOSE: The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the impact of automated cardiac rehabilitation (CR) referral and nurse care coordination on patient and program outcomes. Specifically, the aim was to identify whether differences exist in physical and psychological function at CR Phase 2 enrollment and completion and CR Phase 2 participation and completion for hospitalized patients who receive in-person CR nurse visits versus phone consultation. Using a retrospective pre-/post-intervention descriptive design, a purposive sampling technique was used to select groups with matching clinical attributes...

This study aimed to dynamically track the priorities and potential research hotspots in the field of heart failure with sarcopenia. Using CiteSpace, we analyzed the literature on heart failure with sarcopenia from the Web of Science database from 1995 to 2022. The analysis encompassed 507 records, revealing an overall upward trend in annual publication volume. Europe and the United States emerged as the primary regions for publishing, particularly driven by contributions from developed countries such as the United States, Germany, and Italy...

BACKGROUND: Exercise is recommended for patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) and its intensity is usually set as a percentage of the maximal work rate (MWR) during cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPX) or a symptom-limited incremental test (SLIT). As these tests are not always available in cardiac rehabilitation due to logistic/cost constraints, we aimed to develop a predictive model to estimate MWR at CPX (estMWR@CPX) in CHF patients using anthropometric and clinical measures and the 6-min walk test (6 MWT), the most widely used exercise field test...

Heart failure is a clinical syndrome with different etiologies and phenotypes. For all forms, supervised exercise training and individual physical activity are class IA recommendations in current guidelines. Over the past two decades it has become recognized that physical deconditioning may play a key role in the progression of symptoms and poor outcomes. A number of prior studies have assessed the ability of exercise training to improve functional capacity in patients with HF. Most of these previous studies showed positive effects of exercise training on exercise capacity, quality of life, and biomarkers and observed relatively few complications during training...

BACKGROUND: Aerobic fitness is a predictor of cardiovascular health which correlates with health-related quality of life in the general population. The aim is to evaluate the aerobic capacity by cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) in children with sickle cell disease in comparison with healthy matched controls. METHODS: Controlled cross-sectional study. RESULTS: A total of 72 children (24 with sickle cell disease and 48 healthy controls), aged 6-17 years old were enrolled...

Heart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a prevalent global condition affecting approximately 50% of the HF population. With the aging of the worldwide population, its incidence and prevalence are expected to rise even further. Unfortunately, until recently, no effective medications were available to reduce the high mortality and hospitalization rates associated with HFpEF, making it a significant unmet need in cardiovascular medicine. Although HFpEF is commonly defined as HF with normal ejection fraction and elevated left ventricular filling pressure, performing invasive hemodynamic assessments on every individual suspected of having HFpEF is neither feasible nor practical...

Mitochondrial dysfunction, a feature of heart failure, leads to a progressive decline in bioenergetic reserve capacity, consisting in a shift of energy production from mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation to glycolytic pathways. This adaptive process of cardiomyocytes does not represent an effective strategy to increase the energy supply and to restore the energy homeostasis in heart failure, thus contributing to a vicious circle and to disease progression. The increased oxidative stress causes cardiomyocyte apoptosis, dysregulation of calcium homeostasis, damage of proteins and lipids, leakage of mitochondrial DNA, and inflammatory responses, finally stimulating different signaling pathways which lead to cardiac remodeling and failure...

INTRODUCTION: Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) has emerged as a promising tool in ischemic stroke rehabilitation. However, there has been no systematic review summarizing its adverse effects, critical information for patients and providers when obtaining informed consent for this novel treatment. This systematic review and meta-analysis reports the adverse effects of VNS. METHODS: A systematic review was performed in accordance with PRISMA guidelines to identify common complications after VNS therapy...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Rehabilitation targeting patients with cardiac conditions are evident and acknowledged in clinical guidelines. However, participation rates remain suboptimal, with only 50% of all patients with cardiac conditions participating in these programs across Europe. Considering the well-documented effects of rehabilitation, increasing the referral rate to cardiac rehabilitation would be desirable. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of a novel referral strategy that could potentially enhance enrollment in cardiac rehabilitation for patients with heart failure...

BACKGROUND: Supervised exercise training decreases total and cardiac mortality and increases quality of life of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) patients. However, response to training is variable from one patient to another and factors responsible for a positive response to training remain unclear. The aims of the study were to compare cardiac hemodynamic changes after an exercise training program in responders (R) versus non-responders (NR) HFrEF patients, and to compare different discriminators used to assess response to training...

BACKGROUND: Diet intervention forms the cornerstone for cardiovascular disease (CVD) management. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to measure the frequency of dietary counseling documentation for patients recently hospitalized with CVD. DESIGN: This was an observational study. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Patients were included from the Michigan Value Collaborative Multipayer Claims Registry from October 2015 to February 2020...