title: Pilates in heart failure patients: a randomized controlled pilot trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Conventional cardiac rehabilitation program consist of 15 min of warm-up, 30 min of aerobic exercise and followed by 15 min calisthenics exercise. The Pilates method has been increasingly applied for its therapeutic benefits, however little scientific evidence supports or rebukes its use as a treatment in patients with heart failure (HF).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Investigate the effects of Pilates on exercise capacity variables in HF.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixteen pts with HF, left ventricular ejection fraction 27 ± 14%, NYHA class I-II were randomly assigned to conventional cardiac rehabilitation program (n = 8) or mat Pilates training (n = 8) for 16 weeks of 30 min of aerobic exercise followed by 20 min of the specific program.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At 16 weeks, pts in the mat Pilates group and conventional group showed significantly increase on exercise time 11.9 ± 2.5 to 17.8 ± 4 and 11.7 ± 3.9 to 14.2 ± 4 min, respectively. However, only the Pilates group increased significantly the ventilation (from 56 ± 20 to 69 ± 17 L/min, P = 0.02), peak VO(2) (from 20.9 ± 6 to 24.8 ± 6 mL/kg/min, P = 0.01), and O(2) pulse (from 11.9 ± 2 to 13.8 ± 3 mL/bpm, P = 0.003). The Pilates group showed significantly increase in peak VO(2) when compared with conventional group (24.8 ± 6 vs. 18.3 ± 4, P = 0.02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The result suggests that the Pilates method may be a beneficial adjunctive treatment that enhances functional capacity in patients with HF who are already receiving standard medical therapy.
authors: Heart Institute do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil, (InCor-HCFMUSP). gvguima@usp.br
authors: Guilherme Veiga
authors: GV
authors: Guimarães
authors: Vitor Oliveira
authors: VO
authors: Carvalho
authors: Edimar Alcides
authors: EA
authors: Bocchi
authors: Veridiana Moraes
authors: VM
authors: d'Avila
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D026241:Exercise Movement Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006334:Heart Function Tests; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged