Rehabilitation of patients with congestive heart failure with or without beta-blockade therapy

Background: Management of heart failure includes P-blockade (PB) therapy an d cardiac rehabilitation. The aim of this study was to compare the exercise training response of patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) receivin g PB therapy with that of patients not receiving treatment. Methods and Results: Thirty-four consecutive patients with CHF were include d in a 4-week training program at their ventilatory threshold (VT); 6 patie nts received betaB treatment and 18 did not, The patients underwent a cardi opulmonary exercise test before and after training. Oxygen uptake (VO2) at peak exercise and at VT increased in both groups (P less than or equal to . 0001) without any significant differences between the groups. The same resu lts were found after adjustment to ejection fraction and VO2 at the start o f the training program. There was no difference in VT improvement, measured as a percentage of utilization of maximal oxygen uptake, between the group s. After training, heart rate and ventilation decreased (P less than or equ al to .0001) at submaximal levels in both groups without significant differ ences between the groups. Conclusions: PB therapy does not impair functional improvement induced by a rehabilitation program in patients with CHF. PB therapy does not interfere with exercise training prescription if patient exercise evaluations are ma de at the time of therapeutic intake.