title: Aerobic endurance training program improves exercise performance in lung transplant recipients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether an aerobic endurance training program (AET) in comparison to normal daily activities improves exercise capacity in lung transplant recipients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nine lung transplant recipients (12+/-6 months after transplant) were examined. All patients underwent incremental bicycle ergometry with the work rate increased in increments of 20 W every 3 min. Identical exercise tests were performed after 11+/-5 weeks of normal daily activities and then after a 6-week AET. The weekly aerobic training time increased from 60 min at the beginning to 120 min during the last week. Training intensity ranged from 30 to 60% of the maximum heart rate reserve.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Normal daily activities had no effect on exercise performance. The AET induced a significant decrease in resting minute ventilation from 14+/-5 to 11+/-3 L/min. At an identical, submaximal level of exercise, a significant decrease in minute ventilation from 47+/-14 L/min to 39+/-13 L/min and heart rate from 144+/-12 to 133+/-17 beats/min, before and after the AET, was noted. The increase in peak oxygen uptake after AET was statistically significant (1.13+/-0.32 to 1.26+/-0.27 L/min).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data demonstrate that normal daily activities do not affect exercise performance in lung transplant recipients > or = 6 months after lung transplantation. An AET improves submaximal and peak exercise performance significantly.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine IV, University of Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Stiebellehner
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Quittan
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: End
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wieselthaler
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Klepetko
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Haber
authors.forename: O C
authors.initials: OC
authors.lastname: Burghuber
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005081:Exercise Therapy; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000502:physiology*; D016040:Lung Transplantation / Q000502:physiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D010809:Physical Fitness; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012123:Pulmonary Ventilation