Effect of maximal-intensity and high-intensity interval training on exercise capacity and quality of life in patients with acute myocardial infarction: a randomized controlled trial.
Hoon Nam, Hyeong-Eun Jeon, Won-Hyoung Kim and 2 others
PMID 37906165WHAT IT FOUND
Supervised interval training after heart attack improved exercise capacity and quality of life more than usual care.
Maximal-intensity training gave the largest exercise capacity gain.
Key findings
01V̇O2max improved in all groups after the intervention, with mean changes of 7.85 mL/kg/min for MIIT, 4.60 mL/kg/min for HIIT, and 1.41 mL/kg/min for usual care.
02MacNew global, physical, and emotional quality-of-life scores improved in all groups, and the two interval-training groups improved more than the usual care group on those domains.
03No serious adverse events related to the interventions were observed.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The usual care group was assigned by preference, not random allocation, which may have introduced selection bias. Only 91 of the 106 allocated participants were analysed, although baseline characteristics did not differ between dropouts and completers. There was no follow-up assessment, so long-term effects were not tested. The participants were low-to-moderate risk patients shortly after PCI for acute MI, so findings may not apply to higher-risk patients or other recovery stages. The trial was single-blinded; only participants were blinded to exercise intensity. Baseline scores for fatigue, sleep, anxiety, and PTSD were below the reported cut-off thresholds, which may limit interpretation of those secondary outcomes.
Declared interests
No conflict of interest with any financial organization was declared. The study was funded by an Inha University Research Grant.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that maximal-intensity interval training is proven superior for every patient after myocardial infarction. The usual care group was assigned by preference rather than random allocation, and the trial included only low-to-moderate risk patients shortly after PCI with no long-term follow-up.