High-intensity Interval Training Dosage for Heart Failure and Coronary Artery Disease Cardiac Rehabilitation. A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Introduction and Objectives: High-interval intensity training (HIT) has been suggested to improve peak VO ₂ in cardiac rehabilitation programs. However, the optimal HIT protocol is unknown. The objective of this study was to identify the most effective doses of HIT to optimize peak VO ₂ in coronary artery disease (CAD) and heart failure (HF) patients.
Methods: A search was conducted in 6 databases (MEDLINE, Web of Science, LILACS, CINAHL, Academic Search Complete, and SportDiscus). Studies using a HIT protocol in CAD or HF patients and measuring peak VO ₂ were included. The PEDro Scale and Cochrane Collaboration tools were used.
Results: Analyses reported significant improvements in peak VO ₂ after HIT in both diseases (P = .000001), with a higher increase in HF patients (P = .03). Nevertheless, in HF patients, there were no improvements when the intensity recovery was ≤ 40% of peak VO ₂ (P = .19) and the frequency of training was ≤ 2 d/wk (P = .07). There were significant differences regarding duration in CAD patients, with greater improvements in peak VO ₂ when the duration was < 12 weeks (P = .05). In HF, programs lasting < 12 weeks did not significantly improve peak VO ₂ (P = .1).
Conclusions: The HIT is an effective method for improving peak VO ₂ in HF and CAD, with a significantly greater increase in HF patients. The recovery intervals should be active and be between 40% and 60% of peak VO ₂ in HF patients. Training frequency should be ≥ 2 d/wk for CAD patients and ≥ 3 d/wk for HF patients.
(Copyright © 2018 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)