title: Exercise physiology, testing, and training in patients supported by a left ventricular assist device.
abstract: The left ventricular assist device (LVAD) is an accepted treatment alternative for the management of end-stage heart failure. As we move toward implantation of LVADs in less severe cases of HF, scrutiny of functional capacity and quality of life becomes more important. Patients demonstrate improvements in exercise capacity after LVAD implantation, but the effect is less than predicted. Exercise training produces multiple beneficial effects in heart failure patients, which would be expected to improve quality of life. In this review, we describe factors that are thought to participate in the persistent exercise impairment in LVAD-supported patients, summarize current knowledge about the effect of exercise training in LVAD-supported patients, and suggest areas for future research.
authors: Division of Cardiovascular Diseases. Electronic address: rloyagar@uab.edu.
authors: Renzo Y
authors: RY
authors: Loyaga-Rendon
authors: Department of Human Studies, Center for Exercise Medicine, and Nutrition Obesity Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.
authors: Eric P
authors: EP
authors: Plaisance
authors: Department of Physical Therapy and Integrative Physiology Laboratory, College of Applied Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.
authors: Ross
authors: R
authors: Arena
authors: Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia.
authors: Keyur
authors: K
authors: Shah
mesh_terms: D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D017079:Exercise Tolerance / Q000502:physiology; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D006353:Heart-Assist Devices; D006801:Humans; D011788:Quality of Life
keywords: exercise capacity; exercise training; heart failure; left ventricular assist device; quality of life