Key result
Stair climbing-based high-intensity interval training and traditional moderate-intensity exercise did not significantly improve endothelial function after 12 weeks in patients with coronary artery disease.
Why the study?
Research-grade measures of cardiovascular function may provide additional, more sensitive indices than standard clinical measures to assess responses to exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation in CAD.
Does stair climbing-based high-intensity interval training improve cardiovascular function compared to traditional moderate-intensity exercise in individuals with coronary artery disease?
RCT (n=18)
Single-blind
Computer-generated randomization
No
Does stair climbing-based high-intensity interval training improve cardiovascular function compared to traditional moderate-intensity exercise in individuals with coronary artery disease?
In individuals with coronary artery disease, 12 weeks of high-intensity stair climbing or traditional moderate-intensity exercise elicited early increases in cardiac apical rotation but no significant changes in endothelial function or other echocardiographic measures.
Neither stair-climbing HIIT nor moderate exercise improved endothelial function in CAD; challenges short-term vascular benefits and leaves longer trials open.
Exercise‐based cardiac rehabilitation leads to improvements in cardiovascular function in individuals with coronary artery disease. The cardiac effects of coronary artery disease (CAD) can be quantified using clinical echocardiographic measures, such as ejection fraction (EF). Measures of cardiovascular function typically only used in research settings can provide additional information and maybe more sensitive indices to assess changes after exercise‐based cardiac rehabilitation. These additional measures include endothelial function (measured by flow‐mediated dilation), left ventricular twist, myocardial performance index, and global longitudinal strain. To investigate the cardiovascular response to 12 week of either traditional moderate‐intensity (TRAD) or stair climbing‐based high‐intensity interval (STAIR) exercise‐based cardiac rehabilitation using both clinical and additional measures of cardiovascular function in individuals with CAD. Measurements were made at baseline (BL) and after supervised (4wk) and unsupervised (12 week) of training. This study was registered as a clinical trial at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03235674). Participants were randomized into either TRAD ( n = 9, 8M/1F) and STAIR ( n = 9, 8M/1F). There was a training‐associated increase in one component of left ventricular twist: Cardiac apical rotation (TRAD: BL: 5.6 ± 3.3º, 4 week: 8.0 ± 3.9º, 12 week: 6.2 ± 5.1º and STAIR: BL: 5.1 ± 3.6º, 4 week: 7.4 ± 3.9º, 12 week: 7.8 ± 2.8º, p (time) = 0.03, η 2 = 0.20; main effect) and post‐hoc analysis revealed a difference between BL and 4 week ( p = 0.02). There were no changes in any other clinical or additional measures of cardiovascular function. The small increase in cardiac apical rotation observed after 4 weeks of training may indicate an early change in cardiac function. A larger overall training stimulus may be needed to elicit other cardiovascular function changes.
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Valentino et al. (2022) conducted an RCT in Coronary artery disease (n=18). Stair climbing-based high-intensity interval training (STAIR) vs. Traditional moderate-intensity exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (TRAD) was evaluated on Relative flow-mediated dilation (FMD) at 12 weeks (p=0.47). Stair climbing-based high-intensity interval training and traditional moderate-intensity exercise did not significantly improve endothelial function after 12 weeks in patients with coronary artery disease.
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