Objective: The network meta-analysis was to compare and rank the effectiveness of different exercises on cardiorespiratory function or exercise efficiency in poststroke patients.
Design: A network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials was conducted. PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were searched. The impact of exercises including individual and combination of aerobic exercise, resistance exercise, task-oriented training, gait training, breathing exercise, and regular rehabilitation training on 6-min walk test, peak oxygen consumption, maximum oxygen consumption, resting heart rate, resting systolic blood pressure, and resting diastolic blood pressure were assessed.
Results: In total, 36 studies were included in the meta-analysis. Aerobic exercise + GT (63.06%) had the highest likelihood of improving 6-min walk test performance in poststroke patients. Regular rehabilitation training + resistance exercise was the most favorable exercise in terms of 6-min walk test performance assessing by minimum clinically significant difference. Aerobic exercise + resistance exercise had the highest likelihood of improving peak oxygen consumption and reducing resting heart rate in poststroke patients.
Conclusion: Different types of exercise demonstrated the benefits of improving cardiorespiratory function in stroke patients. Further research is needed to determine the best exercise regimen to maximize the benefits of rehabilitation interventions for poststroke patients.
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