Early-start Exercise Training in Subacute Heart Failure

Prescription of aerobic exercise training in stable chronic heart failure patients finds an evidence-based justification in the acknowledged long-term positive effects of aerobic exercise training on both functional capacity and prognosis in this population. In recent time, evidence has accumulated in normal subjects about short-term favorable effects of aerobic exercise training on sympatho-vagal balance and flow-mediated vasodilation, two physiological mechanisms known to be profoundly altered in the setting of acute hemodynamic decompensation of chronic heart failure. The possible extension of aerobic exercise training indication to chronic heart failure patients admitted for recent acute hemodynamic decompensation not stabilized as yet, may thus provide a valuable, low-cost tool to effectively manage such a high-risk and resource-absorbing population.