Regular exercise training reduces coronary restenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with acute myocardial infarction

Int J Cardiol. 2013 Sep 10;167(6):2617-22. doi: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2012.06.122. Epub 2012 Jul 12.

Abstract

Background: It is well known that cardiac rehabilitation (CR) including regular exercise training (ET) is cardioprotective with respect to clinical events in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, it is not known whether the regular ET may affect coronary restenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with stenting in AMI. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of regular ET on a stented coronary segment and its association with inflammatory markers in AMI.

Methods: Consecutively 74 AMI patients who underwent PCI with implantation of a drug-eluting stent and 9 month follow-up angiography were included. Thirty seven patients who received CR with ET were assigned to the ET group. Another 37 patients who did not participate in ET, of similar age to those of participants, were assigned to the control group. At 9 months, angiographic restenosis measured as in-segment late luminal loss of the stented coronary artery was analyzed via quantitative coronary angiography using CAAS 5.9.

Results: There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics including age, sex, body mass index, smoking, DM, hypertension, lipid profile, use of statin, and complete blood cell between two groups. On 9 month follow-up angiography, late luminal loss per stent was significantly smaller in the ET group compared to the control group (0.14 ± 0.57 vs. 0.54 ± 0.88 mm, p=0.02). Maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) significantly improved in the ET group after 9months (27.9 ± 6.4 vs. 30.8 ± 5.2 mL/kg/min, p<0.001). Increment in high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) was significantly larger in the ET group at 9 months (0.15 ± 0.12 vs. 0.04 ± 0.24 mg/dL, p=0.03).

Conclusion: Regular ET contributes to a significant reduction in late luminal loss in the stented coronary segment in AMI patients. This effect was associated with increased exercise capacity and increased HDL-C.

Keywords: Cardiac rehabilitation; Coronary restenosis; Exercise training.

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Coronary Restenosis / diagnostic imaging*
  • Coronary Restenosis / epidemiology
  • Coronary Restenosis / therapy*
  • Exercise / physiology
  • Exercise Therapy / methods*
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Myocardial Infarction / diagnostic imaging*
  • Myocardial Infarction / epidemiology
  • Myocardial Infarction / therapy*
  • Percutaneous Coronary Intervention / adverse effects*
  • Radiography
  • Treatment Outcome