title: Effects of High-Intensity Interval Training versus Continuous Training on Physical Fitness, Cardiovascular Function and Quality of Life in Heart Failure Patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Physical fitness is an important prognostic factor in heart failure (HF). To improve fitness, different types of exercise have been explored, with recent focus on high-intensity interval training (HIT). We comprehensively compared effects of HIT versus continuous training (CT) in HF patients NYHA II-III on physical fitness, cardiovascular function and structure, and quality of life, and hypothesize that HIT leads to superior improvements compared to CT.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty HF patients (male:female 19:1, 64±8 yrs, ejection fraction 38±6%) were allocated to 12-weeks of HIT (10*1-minute at 90% maximal workload-alternated by 2.5 minutes at 30% maximal workload) or CT (30 minutes at 60-75% of maximal workload). Before and after intervention, we examined physical fitness (incremental cycling test), cardiac function and structure (echocardiography), vascular function and structure (ultrasound) and quality of life (SF-36, Minnesota living with HF questionnaire (MLHFQ)).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Training improved maximal workload, peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) related to the predicted VO2peak, oxygen uptake at the anaerobic threshold, and maximal oxygen pulse (all P<0.05), whilst no differences were present between HIT and CT (N.S.). We found no major changes in resting cardiovascular function and structure. SF-36 physical function score improved after training (P<0.05), whilst SF-36 total score and MLHFQ did not change after training (N.S.).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Training induced significant improvements in parameters of physical fitness, although no evidence for superiority of HIT over CT was demonstrated. No major effect of training was found on cardiovascular structure and function or quality of life in HF patients NYHA II-III.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Nederlands Trial Register NTR3671.
authors.affiliation: Radboud university medical center, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Department of Physiology, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Nathalie M M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Benda
authors.affiliation: Radboud university medical center, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Department of Physiology, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Liverpool John Moores University, Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Joost P H
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Seeger
authors.affiliation: Radboud university medical center, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Department of Physiology, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Guus G C F
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Stevens
authors.affiliation: Radboud university medical center, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Department of Physiology, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Bregina T P
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Hijmans-Kersten
authors.affiliation: Radboud university medical center, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Department of Cardiology, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Arie P J
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: van Dijk
authors.affiliation: Radboud university medical center, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Department of Cardiology, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bellersen
authors.affiliation: Canisius-Wilhelmina Hospital, Department of Cardiology, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Evert J P
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Lamfers
authors.affiliation: Radboud university medical center, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Department of Physiology, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Maria T E
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Hopman
authors.affiliation: Radboud university medical center, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Department of Physiology, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Liverpool John Moores University, Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Dick H J
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Thijssen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010809:Physical Fitness; D011788:Quality of Life; D016896:Treatment Outcome