The implications of physical activity in patients with chronic heart failure

Summary • The clinical syndrome of chronic heart failure is increasingly prevalent. It can be considered a multiorgan disorder that may exert a negative physical and psychological influence on a patient • Medication and surgical intervention have important roles to play and have certainly improved both morbidity and mortality in this field, but clearly these interventions alone are not enough • Excessive resource utilization for this group of patients has provided added impetus to research into non‐pharmacological interventions. These encompass dietary and other lifestyle measures, including smoking cessation and exercise • Exercise has been shown to favourably affect the functional capacity and quality of life. There is also emerging evidence that it reduces mortality • In the absence of contraindications, regular endurance exercise coupled with strength training is undoubtedly beneficial • As with other cardiovascular research, there is a trend towards recruiting middle‐aged males. This effectively means that practitioners need to be cautious when evaluating and/or implementing research evidence • By addressing the implications of physical activity for deconditioned patients with chronic heart failure, a holistic therapeutic regimen is fostered. This has been shown to improve the quality of life of patients and to enhance the quality of service delivered to this patient group