Effects of Exercise Modalities on Physical Function and Quality of Life in Patients with Heart Failure: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis

Figure 1. PRISMA flow diagram of the search process for studies.

Figure 2. Network plot of LVEF. The size of each node reflects the number of participants assigned to each exercise type. Exercise types that have been directly compared in trials are connected by lines, with the thickness of each line representing the number of studies assessing that specific comparison. AT, aerobic exercise; CON, control; HIIT, high‐intensity interval training; IMT, inspiratory muscle training; IT, interval training; LVEF, left ventricular ejection fraction; MICT, moderate‐intensity continuous training; RT, resistance training.

Figure 3. Network plot of serum natriuretic peptide. The size of each node represents the number of participants assigned to each exercise type. Exercise types that have been directly compared are connected by lines, with the thickness of each line indicating the number of trials assessing those specific comparisons. AE, aquatic therapy; AT, aerobic exercise; CON, control; HIIT, high‐intensity interval training; IMT, inspiratory muscle training; IT, interval training; MICT, moderate‐intensity continuous training; RT, resistance training.

Figure 4. Network plot of 6MWD. The size of the nodes corresponds to the number of participants randomly assigned to each exercise type. Exercise types with direct comparisons are linked by a line, the thickness of which corresponds to the number of trials used to assess the comparison. 6MWD, 6‐minute walk distance; AT, aerobic exercise; CON, control; HIIT, high intensity interval training; IMT, inspiratory muscle training; IT, interval training; MICT, moderate intensity continuous training; RT, resistance training.

Figure 5. Network plot of VO2peak. The size of the nodes corresponds to the number of participants randomly assigned to each exercise type. Exercise types with direct comparisons are linked by a line, the thickness of which corresponds to the number of trials used to assess the comparison. AT, aerobic exercise; CON, control; HIIT, high intensity interval training; IMT, inspiratory muscle training; IT, interval training; MICT, moderate intensity continuous training; RT, resistance training; VO2peak, peak oxygen uptake.

Figure 6. Network plot of MLHFQ. MLHFQ: Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire; the size of the nodes corresponds to the number of participants randomly assigned to each exercise type. Exercise types with direct comparisons are linked by a line, the thickness of which corresponds to the number of trials used to assess the comparison. AE, aquatic therapy; AT, aerobic exercise; CON, control; HIIT, high intensity interval training; IMT, inspiratory muscle training; IT, interval training; MICT, moderate intensity continuous training; RT, resistance training.

Figure 7. Network plot of dyspnoea. The size of the nodes corresponds to the number of participants randomly assigned to each exercise type. Exercise types with direct comparisons are linked by a line, the thickness of which corresponds to the number of trials used to assess the comparison. AE, aquatic therapy; AT, aerobic exercise; CON, control; HIIT, high intensity interval training; IMT, inspiratory muscle training; IT, interval training; MICT, moderate intensity continuous training; RT, resistance training.