title: Short-term heart rate variability changes after exercise training in subjects following myocardial infarction.
abstract: Heart rate variability reflects the activity of autonomic nervous system. The aim was to evaluate the value of short-term spectral analysis of heart rate for monitoring the effects of exercise training on the autonomic nervous system in subjects following myocardial infarction. Short-term spectral analysis of heart rate variability was performed during standardised supine-standing-supine test in a group of 29 clinically stable patients after myocardial infarction and the same test was repeated after 2 months of exercise training (ergometry or rapid walking). Each subject exercised at 60-80% of his maximal performance for 30 minutes once a day. Short-term spectral analysis of heart rate variability was assessed in the frequency range of 0.02-0.5 Hz involving very low frequency (VLF, 0.02-0.05 Hz), low frequency (LF, 0.05-0.15 Hz) and high frequency (HF, 0.15-0.5 Hz) spectral bands. The influence of exercise training on the autonomic nervous system was registered in the physically active group (n = 16) as a decrease in sympathetic response to standardised orthostatic load. In conclusions the regular exercise influenced an altered neural autonomic regulation of heart rate in post-infarction patients shown by a decrease in sympathetic activity in the short-term heart rate variability. This method enables monitoring of the effects of physical training on the autonomic nervous system in patients following myocardial infarction.
authors.affiliation: IIIrd Internal Clinic, Medical Faculty of the Palacky University, Olomouc, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Metelka
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Weinbergová
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Opavský
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Salinger
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ostranský
mesh_terms: D004452:Echocardiography; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation