Exercise training for systolic heart failure: Cochrane systematic review and meta-analysis

To determine the effect of exercise training on clinical events and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients with systolic heart failure.

We searched electronic databases including Medline, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library up to January 2008 to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing exercise training and usual care with a minimum follow-up of 6 months. Nineteen RCTs were included with a total of 3647 patients, the majority of whom were male, low-to-medium risk, and New York Heart Association class II-III with a left ventricular ejection fraction of <40%. There was no significant difference between exercise and control in short-term (

Compared with usual care, in selected heart failure patients, exercise training reduces heart failure-related hospitalizations and results in clinically important improvements in HRQoL. High-quality RCT and cost-effectiveness evidence is needed for the effect of exercise training in community-based settings and in more severe heart failure patients, elderly people, and women.