Exercise intolerance is present in most patients with left ventricular
dysfunction. Factors affecting the central and peripheral circulation
, ventilatory system and skeletal muscles limit the exercise capacity
in varying degrees within each patient. Exercise training is now being
applied with growing enthusiasm to patients with heart failure. Impro
vements in the peripheral circulation and skeletal muscle structure an
d function appear to account for the observed benefit in exercise tole
rance after training. Exercise programmes in these patients should be
initially conducted with close supervision and tailored to the individ
ual patient.