Cardiac Rehabilitation and its Effects on Functional Capacity and Clinical Outcomes in Chronic Heart Failure: A literature review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62827/fb.v27i5.1234Keywords:
Exercise Therapy; Exercise Tolerance; Quality of Life; Physical Therapy Modalities; Walk Test.Abstract
Introduction: Chronic heart failure is a highly prevalent syndrome associated with substantial morbidity and mortality, characterized by exercise intolerance and recurrent hospitalizations. Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation, whose physiotherapy component comprises aerobic, resistance, and inspiratory muscle training, is a well-established non-pharmacological intervention, although uncertainties remain regarding the magnitude of its effects and the optimal training modalities. Objective: To describe the effects of exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation, with emphasis on physiotherapy-delivered modalities, on functional capacity, safety, and clinical outcomes in chronic heart failure. Methods: A narrative and descriptive literature review was conducted, with a search performed in July 2026 in the Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), accessed through PubMed, Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature (LILACS), Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro), and Cochrane Library, using descriptors from the Health Sciences Descriptors (DeCS) and the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) combined with Boolean operators. Clinical trials, reviews, meta-analyses, and guidelines in Portuguese and English were included based on their relevance to the objective, read in full, and descriptively analyzed by thematic axes. Results: The evidence indicates that exercise training consistently improves functional capacity, expressed by peak oxygen consumption and walking distance, in addition to enhancing quality of life. Effects on mortality are neutral or modest, whereas a reduction in hospitalizations is more likely. The intervention has a good safety profile when appropriately prescribed and supervised, including among frail older adults and patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. Home-based and telemonitored models expand access. Conclusion: Cardiac rehabilitation is a safe and effective intervention for improving functional capacity and quality of life, reinforcing the central role of physiotherapy in the care of this population.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Rafael Viana dos Santos Coutinho, Aline Porto, Henrique Moretto Pires, Maria Victoria Caravelli Zeringotha Almeida, Isabelly Damasceno Souza (Autor)
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