Influence of exercise on a heart transplant patient

A treadmill training protocol was implemented to examine the effects of a 12-week exercise program on the physiologic status of a patient who had a heart transplant in 1980. The patient was tested for exercise tolerance before programming, midway through the study, and immediately upon completing endurance training. Maximal METS levels achieved were 3.2 METS, 5.6 METS, and 6.3 METS, respectively. The subject began an anaerobic program consisting of 48 exercise sessions over a three-month period. Exercise sessions were interval in nature, walking at 2.5 mph, 0% grade, three repetitions, five minutes each and increasing to 3.0 mph, 2.5% grade, two repetitions, 15 minutes each. The patient improved from Class III (METS = 3.0), where less than ordinary physical activity causes fatigue, to Class I (METS = 6.5), where ordinary physical activity can be sustained without undue fatigue. These findings suggest that selected heart transplant patients may achieve up to 85% maximum oxygen consumption and maximum heart rate which demonstrates the need for endurance training programs in this population. This form of cardiovascular conditioning has enabled the participant to engage in higher levels of activities of daily living within the community.