Effects of Eight Weeks of Aerobic Exercises on the Cardiac Function and Inflammatory Markers of Male Patients with Heart Failure After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of mortality across the world. Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is frequently performed on patients with cardiac diseases, the outcomes of which are closely associated with lifestyle modification, especially physical exercise.

The present study aimed to evaluate the impact of aerobic exercises on the cardiac function and inflammatory markers of male patients with heart failure after CABG.

This clinical trial was conducted on 20 male patients with heart failure after CABG, who were randomly divided into the intervention and control groups (10 per each). In total, 24 aerobic exercise sessions were performed in the form of three 60-minutes weekly sessions with 60% - 70% maximal heart rate (MaxHR). Cardiac function was evaluated, and the levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6) high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein (hsCRP) were measured before and after the intervention. Data analysis was performed in the PRISM software using independent and Paired t-test.

After the intervention, left ventricular ejection fraction significantly increased in the intervention group, while no changes were observed in the control group (P = 0.0039). However, no significant changes were observed in the diastolic function of the groups after the intervention (P > 0.05). IL-6 had no significant changes in the control group, while it significantly reduced in the intervention group (P = 0.002). Furthermore, the hsCRP significantly decreased in the intervention group (P = 0.036), while no significant changes were observed in the control group in this regard (P < 0.05).

According to the results, aerobic exercises could improve systolic cardiac function and decrease IL-6 and hsCRP in the patients with cardiac failure. Therefore, these exercises are recommended following CABG.