One hundred and thirty-six men with coronary artery disease were randomly assigned to a hospital-based or home-based exercise program of 3 sessions per week. A treadmill test was carried out with the modified Naughton protocol. After 3 months, 125 patients (92%) with a mean age of 55 ± 11 years had completed the study. Maximum workload achieved increased by 65% [(12.40 ± 1.32 vs. 7.50 ± 0.85 metabolic equivalent units (METs)] in the hospital-based group, and by 17% (8.86 ± 0.9 vs. 7.56 ± 0.78 METs) in the home-based group ( p = 0.0001). The heart rate-blood pressure product, an index of myocardial oxygen consumption, decreased at rest by 19% in the hospital-based group but was unchanged in the home-based group ( p = 0.0001). The heart rate-blood pressure product at 5 and 7 METs activity level decreased 28% and 26%, respectively, in the hospital-based group vs. 8% and 2% in the home-based group ( p = 0.0001). It was concluded that hospital-based exercise training in patients with coronary artery disease improves functional capacity and decreases the myocardial oxygen consumption index at rest and during exercise.
Increase in myocardial oxygen consumption indexes by exercise training at onset of ischemia in patients with coronary artery disease.
