Benefits of Exercise in Heart Failure: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials

Objective: To update Sagar et.al. systematic review and meta-analysis on exercise-based rehabilitation for heart failure.

Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials on exercised-based cardiac rehabilitation. MEDLINE, OVID and cross references were searched for RCTs published between February 2013 up to August 2018. Trials with at least 6 months follow up were included if exercise training program alone or as a component of comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation was compared with groups without exercise prescription.

Results: A total of 11,989 patients were included in the 43 randomized clinical trials predominantly with reduced EF and NYHA class ll -lll. Exercise training program prescription in heart failure patients reduced the all-cause mortality (RR=0.76; 95%CI= 0.66, 0.87; P= 0.001), all cause hospitalization after 12 months (RR=0.70; 95% CI= 0.52, 0.96; P= 0.02) rehospitalization due to heart failure (RR= 0.49; 95% CI= 0.44, 0.55; P= <0.0001) and improvement in quality-of-life scores (RR= -0.36; 95% CI= -0.58, -0.14; P= 0.002). Among these health quality related outcomes, the all-cause mortality and the hospitalization admission after 12 months follow up showed a significant association with exercise therapy program, particularly on exercise setting(p=0.026) and exercise dose (p=0.013), respectively, as revealed by the univariate meta-regression results.

Conclusion: This study has shown that exercise therapy either in center or home based has benefited heart failure patients in reducing the risk of all-cause mortality up to 12 months, hospital admission up 12 months, and has given a better quality of life. The new studies included have further strengthened the findings of previous studies that an exercise therapy program provides benefit to heart failure patients, either as an “alone” intervention or together with a cardiac rehabilitation program; and that the setting and dose of an exercise therapy program provide significant contribution to a reduced risk in all-cause mortality and hospitalization after 12 months follow up, respectively.