Exercise-based rehabilitation strategies in heart transplant recipients: Focus on high-intensity interval training

Abstract

Despite progressive improvement in medical therapy and standard care, the exercise capacity of heart transplant recipients is reduced compared with age-matched healthy individuals. Exercise-based rehabilitation programs have been shown to improve the exercise capacity of transplant patients through a multifactorial effect. In this context, high-intensity interval exercise is a growing field of research, with current evidence suggesting a major benefit in heart transplant recipients compared with a conventional training protocol. Therefore, this study aimed to provide an overview of the mechanisms involved in the reduced exercise capacity of heart transplant patients and a review of current rehabilitation strategies with a special focus on the mechanisms and clinical effects of high-intensity interval training exercise.

Keywords: exercise capacity; exercise training; heart transplant; high-intensity interval training.