The role of cardiac rehabilitation using exercise to decrease natriuretic peptide levels in non-surgical patients: a systematic review

Exercise is recommended in patients with cardiac failure. In the perioperative patient, exercise is also gaining popularity as a form of prehabilitation. In this meta-analysis, we examine if exercise is able to reduce natriuretic peptide levels. Natriuretic peptide (NP) has strong prognostic ability in identifying patients who will develop adverse postoperative cardiovascular outcomes. The protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42017051468). The database search included MEDLINE (PubMed), CINAHL (EBSCO host), EMBASE (EBSCO host), ProQuest, Web of Science, and Cochrane database. The primary outcomes were to determine whether exercise therapy was effective in reducing NP levels as compared to control group, the shortest time period required to reduce NP levels after exercise therapy, and whether reducing NP levels decreased morbidity and mortality. Full texts of 16 trials were retrieved for this review. Exercise therapy showed a significant reduction in natriuretic peptide levels between the intervention and control groups (SMD - 0.45, 95% CI - 0.88 to - 0.03) with significant heterogeneity between the included trials. This was also shown in the within a 12-week period.