Standardised exercise training is feasible, safe and effective in pulmonary arterial and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension - results from a large European multicentre randomised controlled trial

Abstract

Aims: This prospective, randomised, controlled, multicentre study aimed to evaluate efficacy and safety of exercise training in patients with pulmonary arterial (PAH) and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). Methods and Results: For the first time a specialised PAH/CTEPH rehabilitation programme was implemented in eleven centres across ten European countries. Out of 129 enrolled patients, 116 patients (58 vs. 58 randomised into a training or usual care control group) on disease-targeted medication completed the study (85 female; mean pulmonary arterial pressure 46.6±15.1mmHg; PAH n=98; CTEPH n=18). Patients of the training group performed a standardised in-hospital rehabilitation with mean duration of 25 days, which was continued at home. The primary endpoint, change of 6-minute walking distance, significantly improved by 34.1±8.3m in the training compared to the control group (p Conclusion: This is the first multicentre and so far the largest randomised, controlled study on feasibility, safety and efficacy of exercise training as add-on to medical therapy in PAH and CTEPH. Within this study, a standardised specialised training programme with in-hospital start was successfully established in ten European countries.