1.Aerobic exercise improves cardiopulmonary function of elderly patients with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction
Shaohua LIN ; Ling JIANG ; Aijun KONG ; Yansong JU
Chinese Journal of General Practitioners 2011;10(12):896-898
A total of 89 elderly patients with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction were randomly divided into 2 groups:patients in control group received conventional medication,those in exercise group receive conventional medication plus aerobic exercise training,which was lasted for 6 weeks.The changes in VO2max,maximum heart rate (HRmax),VO2max/HRmax,exercise time,6-minute walk and quality of life (QOL) were evaluated after 16 weeks.The VO2max,HRmax,VO2max/HRmax,exercise time,6-minute walk and QOL had increased significantly in exercise group,compared with the control group.The results indicate that aerobic exercise can improve cardiopulmonary function of elderly patients with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction.
2.Clinical features and left ventricular (LV) dysfunction in heart failure patients with normal ejection fraction
Shaohua LIN ; Ling JIANG ; Yansong JU ; Zidong TANG
Chinese Journal of General Practitioners 2011;10(1):45-47
100 inpatients with heart failure were divided into two groups: 50 with preserved LVEF and 50 with reduced LVEF. Another 50 age-matched healthy subjects served as the control group. The severity and etiology of heart failure, tissue Doppler imaging indexes (Sm;Ea;Aa;E/Ea) and plasma BNP concentrations were compared among the three groups. There was no difference in terms of NYHA classification between groups of preserved LVEF and reduced LVEF. Hypertension and DM are more common in the group of preserved LVEF. The index of Sm decreased most significantly in the group of reduced LVEF, and was negatively correlated with the BNP concentration (r = -0. 35, P < 0. 05 ). The ratio of E/Ea increased gradually among the three groups, and was positively correlated with the BNP concentration ( r = 0. 728, P < 0. 05 ). The LV filling index E/Ea and the BNP concentration may be helpful in the diagnosis of heart failure patients with preserved LVEF.