Effects of exercise therapy at the intensity of anaerobic threshold for exercise tolerance in patients with chronic stable coronary artery disease

Abstract

To investigate the effects of exercise therapy at the intensity of anaerobic threshold (AT) for exercise tolerance in patients with chronic stable coronary artery disease. Forty-three patients with chronic stable coronary artery disease (3 patients after coronary arterial bypass graft (CABG) surgery, 22 patients with old myocardial infarction and 18 unstable angina pectoris undergoing successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) finished twice cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) and followed their rehabilitation program for 3 months. Thirty-two patients finished their aerobic exercise therapy based on their individual anaerobic thresholds while 11 patients had no exercise therapy. The heart rate at AT intensity (97 ± 9/min) was lower than their traditional minimal target heart rate (112 ± 7/min) and lower than heart rate (115 ± 11/min) at ischemic threshold post-CPET. The O(2) consumption (10.7 ± 2.4 to 12.6 ± 2.9 ml×min(-1)×kg(-1)) (P = 0.04) and workload (37 ± 18 to 47 ± 13 J/s) (P = 0.04) at AT level and the O(2) consumption (15.3 ± 3.1 to 20.6 ± 4.2 ml×min(-1)×kg(-1), P = 0.02) and workload(68 ± 12 and 87 ± 14 J/s, P = 0.01) at peak level markedly increased after 3 months in the exercise group. And the O(2) consumption (15.3 ± 2.9 to 16.2 ± 3.1 ml×min(-1)×kg(-1)) and workload (65 ± 13 to 73 ± 16 J/s) at peak level mild increased after 3 months in the non-exercise group, but their O(2) consumption (11.0 ± 2.7 to 11.3 ± 2.8 ml×min(-1)×kg(-1)) and workload (38 ± 11 to 37 ± 9 J/s) at AT level had no obvious change. AT exercise intensity was lower than ischemic threshold post-CPET. Exercise therapy at the intensity of anaerobic threshold can improve oxygen capacity and exercise tolerance.