title: Functional capacity after traditional Chinese medicine (qi gong) training in patients with chronic atrial fibrillation: a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: Evidence indicates that low energy expenditure protocols derived from traditional Chinese medicine may benefit patients with cardiac impairment; therefore, the authors carried out a randomized controlled trial to test a 16-week medically assisted qi gong training program for the physical rehabilitation of patients with stable chronic atrial fibrillation and preserved left ventricular function. Functional capacity variation was evaluated using the 6-minute walk test, which was performed at baseline, at the end of the intervention, and after 16 weeks. Thirty men and 13 women (mean age, 68+/-8 years) were randomized to the intervention protocol or to a wait-list control group. Qi gong training was well tolerated and, compared with baseline, trained patients walked an average 114 meters more (27%) at the end of treatment (P<.001) and 57 meters more (13.7%) 16 weeks later (P=.008). Control subjects showed no variation in functional capacity. These results seem promising and deserve confirmation with further research.
authors.affiliation: Camillo de Lellis per la Ricera Clinica Applicata, Pescara, Italy.
authors.forename: Lucio
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pippa
authors.forename: Lamberto
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Manzoli
authors.forename: Itala
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Corti
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Congedo
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Romanazzi
authors.forename: Giustino
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Parruti
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D001945:Breathing Exercises; D002908:Chronic Disease; D017079:Exercise Tolerance; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D008875:Middle Aged