Effect of Exercise Training on Peak Aerobic Power After Heart Transplantation: A Brief Review

Stephen J Foulkes; Dean Hewitt; Anthony Peters; Thomas Schmidt; Nils Reiss; Ken Riess; Sarah Paterson; Andre La Gerche; Mark J Haykowsky

doi:10.1016/j.cjca.2023.07.017

Effect of Exercise Training on Peak Aerobic Power After Heart Transplantation: A Brief Review

Can J Cardiol. 2023 Nov;39(11S):S368-S374. doi: 10.1016/j.cjca.2023.07.017. Epub 2023 Jul 21.

Authors

Stephen J Foulkes¹, Dean Hewitt², Anthony Peters³, Thomas Schmidt⁴, Nils Reiss⁵, Ken Riess⁶, Sarah Paterson², Andre La Gerche⁷, Mark J Haykowsky⁸

Affiliations

¹ College of Health Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
² College of Health Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
³ Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
⁴ Schüchtermann-Klinik Bad Rothenfelde, Bad Rothenfelde, Germany; Institute for Cardiology and Sports Medicine, German Sports University Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
⁵ Schüchtermann-Klinik Bad Rothenfelde, Bad Rothenfelde, Germany.
⁶ College of Health Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
⁷ Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; Department of Cardiology, St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
⁸ College of Health Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Electronic address: mhaykows@ualberta.ca.

PMID: 37480990
DOI: 10.1016/j.cjca.2023.07.017

Abstract

Heart transplantation (HTP) is a life-saving therapy for selected individuals with end-stage refractory heart failure. Despite improvements in quality of life and survival, HTP recipients' peak aerobic power (peak VO₂) remains up to 50% lower than age-matched healthy control subjects owing to abnormal cardiovascular and skeletal muscle function. Currently, little is known regarding the effect of exercise training (ET) to improve peak VO₂ after HTP. This brief review aims to summarise existing evidence regarding the role of ET on peak VO₂ and its determinants, highlights the upper limits of endurance performance in highly trained HTP athletes, and identifies areas for future HTP exercise rehabilitation research.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Exercise / physiology
Exercise Therapy
Heart Transplantation*
Humans
Muscle, Skeletal
Oxygen Consumption
Quality of Life*