Poster session 4

Chronic heart failure The aim of study. To evaluate the safety of long-term exercise training of patients with moderate and severe chronic heart failure. During 20072009, 164 patients participated in the study: 145 men (88.4%) and 19 women (11.6%). Patients were randomized to active and control groups. 144 patients finished the whole program, 72 in each group. Patients in active group were trained according to methods of aerobic physical training. We evaluated all observed adverse events, which included any cardiovascular events occurred in 1 hour after physical exercise. Hospitalization for any cardiovascular condition, death from any cause and surgery (heart transplantation) were also regarded as adverse events. No significant differences in groups were observed comparing number of deaths from any cause, heart transplantations and hospitalizations separately. However, there was significant difference in combined endpoint of cardiovascular hospitalizations (worsening of heart failure, angina or acute arrhytmias) and lethal outcomes between study groups. There were fewer such events in active group compared to control group, 19 and 33 events (p¼0,01) respectively. After 6 months of different management strategies, there were also significant differences in hospitalizations for any cause and transplantations between study and control groups, 16 and 27 events, respectively (table 1). The most common cause of hospitalization, accounting for 92% all cases in control group, was worsening of heart failure. There was significant difference in hospitalization for this cause between groups. Conclusion: Long term physical training is safe for patients with moderate and severe HF: during study period there were significantly fewer deaths and cardiovascular hospitalizations.