Abstract

Background: Despite remarkable progress in heart failure management, fatigue, Breathlessness, exercise intolerance and muscle wasting remain the hallmarks of the disease leading to impaired quality of life (QoL) and capacity for activities of daily living (ADLs). This study aimed to examine the effects of exercise training on the healthrelated quality of life and upper limb strength of individuals with bi-ventricular heart failure (BVF).

Methods: Sixty-six subjects with chronic BVF in Class II and III of the New York Heart Association were recruited from a Nigerian tertiary Hospital and randomized into two groups, the Exercise and the Control groups. Both groups were on their prescribed medications and underwent education/counselling sessions. The exercise group performed aerobic and resistance training three times a week for 12 weeks while the control group did not engage in any exercise training. The quality of life of the subjects was assessed using the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) and SF-36 questionnaire. The hand dynamometer and One Repetition Maximum (1RM) were used to determine the handgrip and upper limb strengths. Data were analysed using the SPSS Package version 22 and presented using descriptive statistics of Mean ± SEM. The level of significance was set at p < 0.05.

Results: The results showed that the exercise group experienced significant improvement in all domains of QoL, upper limb strength and grip strength while the control group only showed significant improvement in the Knowledge and Perception domains.

Conclusion: It can be concluded that therapeutic exercise positively impacts the general health and symptoms experienced by individuals with Chronic Bi-ventricular heart failure. This suggests that exercise training should be considered a beneficial intervention for improving QoL and muscle strength of individuals with bi-ventricular heart failure.