High-intensity interval training (23 min) was as efficacious as cardiovascular rehabilitation (60 min) for improving 6-minute walk test distance (21.3 vs 13.2 m; P=0.42) in atrial fibrillation.
RCT (n=86)
No
Does high-intensity interval training improve functional capacity and quality of life compared to continuous cardiovascular rehabilitation in patients with persistent and permanent atrial fibrillation?
Twice-weekly 23-minute high-intensity interval training is as efficacious as 60-minute continuous cardiovascular rehabilitation for improving functional capacity and quality of life in patients with persistent and permanent atrial fibrillation.
Absolute Event Rate: 21.3% vs 13.2%
p-value: p=0.42
Importance: Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) experience poor functional capacity and quality of life (QOL). High-intensity interval training (HIIT) has been shown to elicit greater improvements in functional capacity and QOL compared with moderate to vigorous intensity continuous training (MICT) in other cardiovascular populations, yet HIIT remains understudied in AF. Objective: To compare the effects of 12 weeks of HIIT and MICT-based cardiovascular rehabilitation (CR) on functional capacity and general QOL in patients with persistent and permanent AF. Disease-specific QOL, resting heart rate (HR), time in AF, and physical activity (PA) levels were also assessed. Design, Setting, and Participants: This randomized clinical trial, conducted between November 17, 2015, and February 4, 2020, at a tertiary-care cardiovascular health center in Ottawa, Canada, recruited 94 patients with persistent and permanent AF. Interventions: High-intensity interval training (23 minutes: two 8-minute interval training blocks of 30-second work periods at 80%-100% of peak power output interspersed with 30-second recovery) or CR (60 minutes: continuous aerobic conditioning within 67%-95% of peak HR and 12-16 of 20 ratings of perceived exertion) twice weekly for 12 weeks. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcomes were changes in functional capacity (6-minute walk test 6MWT distance) and general QOL (Short Form 36) from baseline to 12 weeks' follow-up. Secondary outcomes included changes in disease-specific QOL (Atrial Fibrillation Severity Scale), resting HR, time in AF, and PA levels. An intention-to-treat analysis was used to compare changes between groups. Results: Of the 94 patients who consented, 86 participated (mean SD age, 69 7 years; 57 66.3% men). No significant differences in improvements in 6MWT distance (mean SD, 21.3 34.1 vs 13.2 55.2 m; P = .42) and general QOL (Physical Component Summary, 0.5 6.1 vs 1.1 4.9 points; P = .87) between HIIT and CR were observed. No significant differences in improvements in disease-specific QOL (AF symptoms: -1.7 4.3 vs -1.5 4 points, P = .59), resting HR (-3.6 10.6 vs -2.9 12.4 beats per minute, P = .63), and moderate to vigorous PA levels (37.3 93.4 vs 14.4 125.7 min/wk; P = .35) between HIIT and CR were detected. Participants attended a mean (SD) of 18.3 (6.1) (75.1%) HIIT sessions and 20.0 (4.5) (83.4%) CR sessions (P = .36). Conclusions and Relevance: In this randomized clinical trial, twice-weekly 23-minute HIIT was as efficacious as twice-weekly 60-minute CR in improving functional capacity, general and disease-specific QOL, resting HR, and PA levels in patients with persistent and permanent AF. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02602457.
Reed et al. (2022) conducted an RCT in Persistent and permanent atrial fibrillation (n=86). High-intensity interval training (HIIT) vs. Cardiovascular rehabilitation (CR) / continuous aerobic conditioning (60 minutes twice weekly) was evaluated on Change in functional capacity (6-minute walk test distance) from baseline to 12 weeks (p=0.42). High-intensity interval training (23 min) was as efficacious as cardiovascular rehabilitation (60 min) for improving 6-minute walk test distance (21.3 vs 13.2 m; P=0.42) in atrial fibrillation.
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