Key result
Intermittent hypoxia-hyperoxia training boosts exercise tolerance by ~25 W after CABG vs. training alone.
Why the study?
The efficacy and safety of intermittent hypoxia-hyperoxia training during inpatient rehabilitation after CABG in patients with moderately reduced and preserved LVEF were not established.
Does intermittent hypoxia-hyperoxia training added to physical therapy improve exercise tolerance, left ventricular ejection fraction, and quality of life in patients undergoing inpatient rehabilitation after coronary artery bypass grafting?
RCT (n=32)
Envelope method
No
Does intermittent hypoxia-hyperoxia training added to physical therapy improve exercise tolerance, left ventricular ejection fraction, and quality of life in patients undergoing inpatient rehabilitation after coronary artery bypass grafting?
Absolute Event Rate: 75% vs 50%
p-value: p=0.004
A short course of intermittent hypoxia-hyperoxia training during inpatient rehabilitation after CABG is safe and significantly enhances functional recovery and exercise tolerance compared to standard physical training alone.
Supports adding intermittent hypoxia-hyperoxia training to post-CABG rehab; extends evidence for adjunctive hypoxia interventions from this small RCT.
Aim. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a course of intermittent Hypoxia-Hyperoxia Training (re-oxygenation therapy) during the second inpatient rehabilitation phase in patients with moderately reduced and preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Materials and methods. The study included 32 patients on days 7–10 after CABG. All patients underwent physical training and were randomized into two groups. The intervention group received 10–14 daily sessions of re-oxygenation therapy lasting 40 minutes each in addition to physical training. The control group did not receive re-oxygenation therapy. The following assessments were performed: six-minute walk test, bicycle ergometry with evaluation of exercise tolerance, and LVEF measured by Simpson’s method. Results. At baseline (7–10 days post-CABG), there were no significant differences between the intervention and control groups in the analyzed parameters. After completing the rehabilitation course, the intervention group showed a 21.4% increase in six-minute walk test distance (p=0.02), while the control group showed no significant change (p=0.08); exercise tolerance increased by 50% in the intervention group (p=0.04) and did not change in the control group; LVEF increased by 6.7% in the intervention group (p=0.03) and by 2.2% in the control group (p=0.06). According to the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ), most patients in the intervention group who initially rated their health status as “moderate” shifted to the “high” health status category (p=0.0002), whereas no patients in the control group rated their health as “high.” No adverse events or therapy discontinuations related to re-oxygenation therapy were observed, and vital signs showed no negative changes. Conclusion. Re-oxygenation therapy combined with physical training during the inpatient rehabilitation phase after CABG is safe and significantly improves postoperative outcomes by enhancing exercise tolerance and quality of life.
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Лебедева et al. (2026) conducted an RCT in Coronary artery disease post-coronary artery bypass grafting (n=32). Intermittent hypoxia-hyperoxia training (IHHT) vs. Standard physical training was evaluated on Exercise tolerance on bicycle ergometry at 20-24 days post-CABG (Watts) (p=0.004). Intermittent hypoxia-hyperoxia training combined with standard physical training significantly increased median exercise tolerance to 75 W compared to 50 W with physical training alone during inpatient rehabilitation after coronary artery bypass grafting.
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