Randomized clinical trial of physiological ischemic training for patients with coronary heart disease complicated with heart failure: Safety of training, VEGF of peripheral blood and quality of life

Effects of a 12-week physiological ischemic training (PIT) programme on safety of training and quality of life (QOL) in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) complicated with heart failure were evaluated. A total of 30 patients with CHD complicated with heart failure were randomized to either an intervention group (n=15) or to controls (n=15) after baseline testing. A 12-week, 5 times a week, maximum subjective force group PIT was conducted. Safety of the training was measured with ECG and heart rate and blood pressure, QOL was measured using the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was measured with peripheral blood. VEGF and MLHFQ were improved in the intervention group. The finding of the study shows PIT is safe to patients with CHD complicated with heart failure by improving VEGF of peripheral blood and QOL.