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Yang M.T.1, Hsiao S.F.2, Chien M.Y.1,2
1National Taiwan University, School and Graduate Institute of Physical Therapy, College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan, 2National Taiwan University Hospital, Division of Physical Therapy, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Taipei, Taiwan
Background: Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) are often reported with symptoms of exercise intolerance, palpitation, and fatigue. All these clinical symptoms lead to decreased physical activity and poor quality of life (QoL). Exercise training has been recommended as adjunctive intervention for various types of cardiovascular diseases. However, exercise training for patient with AF has received less attention.
Purpose: To examine the effects of exercise training on exercise capacity and QoL in patients with AF.
Methods: Literatures were systematically searched in electronic databases and relevant references. Only published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) focusing on exercise training for patients with AF were eligible for inclusion. Outcome measurements included parameters of exercise capacity, the burden of AF, and QoL. The meta-analysis was performed by the Review Manager Version 5.3. The standard mean difference (SMD) and a 95% confidence interval (CI) of the post-intervention score were calculated.
Results: Four clinical trials were eligible for inclusion and provided data on 158 participants (125 men). The participants were with a mean age of 62.4 years with AF. Exercise training mainly included 8-12 weeks of continuous moderate-intensity exercise, 3 sessions per week with 40-60 minutes per session. Exercise training provided significantly improvements in peak oxygen consumption (SMD: 0.57 mL∙min-1∙kg-1 [95% CI: 0.12, 1.02]), maximal workload (SMD: 0.88 W [95% CI: 0.41, 1.35]), and maximal heart rate (SMD: 0.42 bpm [95% CI: 0.10, 0.74]) in the training groups. As for the burden of AF, the measurement from the scale Symptoms and Severity Checklist showed significant reduction in the symptom severity (SMD: -0.63 [95% CI: -1.09, -0.18]). In addition, the exercise group also improved in physical functioning (SMD: 0.36 [95% CI: 0.00, 0.71]) and general health perception (SMD: 0.45 [95% CI: 0.10, 0.81]) in the Short-Form 36. No serious adverse events were reported.
Conclusion(s): Exercise training could provide additional benefits on exercise capacity and QoL in patients with AF.
Implications: Exercise training is feasible and safe intervention to improve exercise capacity and QoL for patients with AF. However, more studies are required in the future to come to a more concrete conclusion.
Funding acknowledgements: Unfunded.
Topic: Cardiorespiratory
Ethics approval: Ethical approval was not required.
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
