The impact of high‐intensity interval training on ventricular remodeling in patients with a recent acute myocardial infarction—A randomized training intervention pilot study

BACKGROUND: Aerobic exercise training is associated with beneficial ventricular remodeling and an improvement in cardiac biomarkers in chronic stable heart failure. High‐intensity interval training (HIIT) is a time‐efficient method to improve [Formula: see text] in stable coronary heart disease patients. This pilot study aimed to compare the effect of HIIT on ventricular remodeling in patients with a recent acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS: Nineteen post‐AMI patients were randomized to either HIIT (n = 9) or usual care (n = 10). A cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET), transthoracic echocardiography, and cardiac biomarker assessment (ie, N‐terminal pro B‐type natriuretic peptide levels and G protein‐coupled receptor kinase 2 expression) were performed before and after a 12‐week training intervention. CPET parameters including oxygen uptake efficiency slope (OUES) and [Formula: see text] at the first ventilatory threshold ([Formula: see text] VT1) were calculated. left ventricular (LV) structural and functional echocardiographic parameters including myocardial strain imaging were assessed. RESULTS: [Formula: see text] and OUES improved solely in the HIIT group (P < .05 for group/time, respectively). There was a significant training effect for the improvement of peak work load in both groups (P < .05). O(2) pulse and [Formula: see text] at VT1 both improved only in the HIIT group (P < .05 for time, no interaction). HIIT improved radial strain and pulsed‐wave tissue Doppler imaging derived e′ (P < .05 for time, no interaction). Cardiac biomarkers did not change in either group. CONCLUSIONS: In post‐AMI patients, HIIT lead to significant improvements in prognostic CPET parameters compared to usual care. HIIT was associated with favorable ventricular remodeling regarding certain echocardiographic parameters of LV function.