Abstract
Background
There is a lack of international consensus regarding the prescription of high-intensity interval exercise training (HIIT) for people with coronary artery disease (CAD) attending cardiac rehabilitation (CR).
Aim
To assess the clinical effectiveness and safety of low-volume HIIT compared with moderate intensity steady-state (MISS) exercise training for people with CAD.
Methods
We conducted a multi-centre RCT, recruiting 382 patients from 6 outpatient CR centres. Participants were randomised to twice-weekly HIIT (n = 187) or MISS (n = 195) for 8 weeks. HIIT consisted of 10 × 1-minute intervals of vigorous exercise (>85% maximum capacity) interspersed with 1-minute periods of recovery. MISS was 20-40 minutes of moderate intensity continuous exercise (60-80% maximum capacity). The primary outcome was the change in cardiorespiratory fitness (peak oxygen uptake, VO2 peak) at 8-week follow-up. Secondary outcomes included cardiovascular disease risk markers, cardiac structure and function, adverse events, and health-related quality of life.
Results
At 8 weeks, VO2 peak improved more with HIIT (2.37 mL.kg-1.min-1; SD, 3.11) compared with MISS (1.32 mL.kg-1.min-1; SD, 2.66). After adjusting for age, sex and study site, the difference between arms was 1.04 mL.kg-1.min-1 (95% CI, 0.38 to 1.69; p = 0.002). Only 1 serious adverse event was possibly related to HIIT.
Conclusions
In stable CAD, low-volume HIIT improved cardiorespiratory fitness more than MISS by a clinically meaningful margin. Low-volume HIIT is a safe, well tolerated, and clinically effective intervention that produces short-term improvement in cardiorespiratory fitness. It should be considered by all CR programmes as an adjunct or alternative to MISS.
There is a lack of international consensus regarding the prescription of high-intensity interval exercise training (HIIT) for people with coronary artery disease (CAD) attending cardiac rehabilitation (CR).
Aim
To assess the clinical effectiveness and safety of low-volume HIIT compared with moderate intensity steady-state (MISS) exercise training for people with CAD.
Methods
We conducted a multi-centre RCT, recruiting 382 patients from 6 outpatient CR centres. Participants were randomised to twice-weekly HIIT (n = 187) or MISS (n = 195) for 8 weeks. HIIT consisted of 10 × 1-minute intervals of vigorous exercise (>85% maximum capacity) interspersed with 1-minute periods of recovery. MISS was 20-40 minutes of moderate intensity continuous exercise (60-80% maximum capacity). The primary outcome was the change in cardiorespiratory fitness (peak oxygen uptake, VO2 peak) at 8-week follow-up. Secondary outcomes included cardiovascular disease risk markers, cardiac structure and function, adverse events, and health-related quality of life.
Results
At 8 weeks, VO2 peak improved more with HIIT (2.37 mL.kg-1.min-1; SD, 3.11) compared with MISS (1.32 mL.kg-1.min-1; SD, 2.66). After adjusting for age, sex and study site, the difference between arms was 1.04 mL.kg-1.min-1 (95% CI, 0.38 to 1.69; p = 0.002). Only 1 serious adverse event was possibly related to HIIT.
Conclusions
In stable CAD, low-volume HIIT improved cardiorespiratory fitness more than MISS by a clinically meaningful margin. Low-volume HIIT is a safe, well tolerated, and clinically effective intervention that produces short-term improvement in cardiorespiratory fitness. It should be considered by all CR programmes as an adjunct or alternative to MISS.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 745-755 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | European Journal of Preventive Cardiology |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue number | 9 |
| Early online date | 8 Feb 2023 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 12 Jul 2023 |
Bibliographical note
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. For commercial re-use, please contact [email protected]Funder
This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. Research activities were supported by Cardiff Metropolitan University, University of Hull, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, Atrium Health, Coventry University, The Gwent Cardiac Rehab Trust Fund, and The Royal Gwent Cardiology Fund.Keywords
- cardiac rehabilitation
- exercise training
- high intensity interval training
- coronary artery disease
- cardiorespiratory fitness
- National Health Service
