Heart failure is a clinical condition characterized by an impaired cardiac pump function. Patients at high risk of developing heart failure are those with hypertension, coronary artery disease and diabetes mellitus. Heart failure is quite prevalent in older adults. It can be broken down into four distinguishable stages. Structured exercise can be a proactive treatment for any stage of heart failure.
Stage A
Stage A of heart failure is no current manifestation of the disease. Individuals are at a high risk of developing heart failure within this stage. Stage A patients have other cardiovascular risk factors, such as hypertension or diabetes. The management strategy in stage A is preventing heart failure. An even blend of aerobic and strength training can be installed in this stage. Aerobic training should be performed five to six days per week, 40 to 45 minutes in duration. You can use a maximum heart rate percentage to judge intensity. An intensity of 70 to 75 percent of your max heart rate would be the goal. A full body strength program can be executed on three nonconsecutive days a week.
Stage B
Stage B heart failure patients have structural cardiac damage but no heart failure. Stage B patients have had a previous heart attack or ventricle dysfunction. You have a slight limitation to physical activity in this stage. Certain levels of exercise will cause fatigue or dyspnea. Dyspnea is the clinical term for shortness of breath. Aerobic exercise can be continuous in nature, but limited to three to four days per week. A moderate intensity of 60 to 65 percent of your max heart rate is your objective. A time frame of about 30 minutes of steady aerobic activity will be enough. Strength training should be integrated only after a solid aerobic conditioning base is achieved. Make sure you begin your strength training program at a modest intensity.
Stage C
A stage C heart failure patient has structured heart disease with current or previous heart failure symptoms. It takes very little activity to fatigue an individual at this stage. Aerobic exercise is performed at an extremely light intensity. Some may not be able to sustain activity for a prolonged period of time. You might be best suited to exercise in 10-minute bouts. Stage C patients are usually on a beta blocker, a medication that lowers your heart rate. This is why you can not use heart rate to measure intensity. Rate of perceived exertion, or RPE, is an alternative intensity barometer. RPE is a numbered intensity chart in which an exerciser can rate how hard she is working.
Stage D
Stage D patients have severe refractory heart failure. Patients in this stage have multiple heart failure symptoms even at rest. Any functional activity, such as walking around a room, would be a major accomplishment. Physicians should consider end of life care or high tech surgeries such as cardiac transplantation.
References
- "Heart Failure: A Practical Approach to Treatment" ; William Abraham, Henry Krum ; 2007
- "Heart Failure in Clinical Practice" ; Micheal Y. Henin ; 2010
