Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 24, 2026

Conducting Maximal and Submaximal Endurance Exercise Testing to Measure Physiological and Biological Responses to Acute Exercise in Humans
Published on: October 17, 2018
Quality of life, psychological and physiological changes following exercise training in patients with chronic heart
Georgia Koukouvou1, Evangelia Kouidi, Apostolos Iacovides
1Laboratory of Sports Medicine, AHEPA Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Objective:
To assess the physiological and psychosocial effects of exercise training in chronic heart failure.
Subjects/Patients:
Twenty-six men with heart failure (New York Heart Association functional classes II and III) aged 52.5 (SD 9.8) years, were studied.
Methods:
The subjects were randomized either to rehabilitation group (Group A: 16 patients), participating in a 6-month exercise training program, or to control group (Group B: 10 patients). A psychosocial assessment, which included affective (Beck Depression Inventory and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), quality of life (Quality of Life Index, Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire and the Scale of Life Satisfaction) and personality (Eysenck Personality Questionnaire) parameters, was performed at the beginning and the end of the study.
Results:
After training VO2 peak increased by 36% and exercise time by 35%, p < 0.05. A significant decrease in anxiety and depression was also observed. Moreover, trained patients demonstrated a significant improvement in quality of life. No significant correlations were found between deltaVO2 peak and all psychosocial parameter gains. However, the more depressed patients showed the largest physiological responses.
Conclusion:
An exercise rehabilitation program in patients with chronic heart failure is useful for improving their work capacity and psychosocial status. Improvements in psychological status seem to be independent of the aerobic gains.
Related Concept Videos
Exercise and Cardiovascular Response
Light to moderate physical activity initiates a series of interconnected responses in the body. The heart rate modestly increases in anticipation of the workout, followed by widespread vasodilation as oxygen consumption by skeletal muscles increases. This results in decreased peripheral resistance, increased capillary blood flow, and accelerated...
Exercise and Cardiac Output
Sustained exercise increases the muscles' oxygen demand, which can be met...
Heart Failure VI: Adjunct Therapies
Pathophysiology of Heart Failure
Heart Failure VII: Nursing Interventions
Exercise Stress Test
Exercise stress testing, commonly known as a treadmill test, is a noninvasive procedure used to evaluate cardiovascular function and diagnose heart conditions.
Definition
An exercise stress test measures the heart's response to exertion using a treadmill or stationary bicycle. Chest electrodes record the heart's electrical activity through an ECG, and blood pressure is monitored regularly.
Purposes

