Introduction: Decreased heart rate variability (HRV) in patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) undergoing hemodialysis is predictive of cardiac death, especially due to sudden death. Objective: To evaluate the effects of aerobic training during hemodialysis on HRV and left ventricular function in ESRD patients. Methods: Twenty two patients were randomized into two groups: exercise (n = 11; 49.6 ± 10.6 years; 4 men) and control (n = 11; 43.5 ± 12.8; 4 men). Patients assigned to the exercise group were submitted to aerobic training, performed during the first two hours of hemodialysis, three times weekly, for 12 weeks. HRV and left ventricular function were assessed by 24 hours Holter monitoring and echocardiography, respectively. Results: After 12 weeks of protocol, no significant differences were observed in time and frequency domains measures of HRV in both groups. The ejection fraction improved non-significantly in exercise group (67.5 ± 12.6% vs. 70.4 ± 12%) and decreased non-significantly in control group (73.6 ± 8.4% vs. 71.4 ± 7.6%). Conclusion: A 12-week aerobic training program performed during hemodialysis did not modify HRV and did not significantly improve the left ventricular function.

PurposeTowards informing health research policy and planning, this article evaluates the relationship of the research publications in cardiac rehabilitation (CR) and pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) with the rehabilitation needs arising from cardiovascular diseases (except stroke) and chronic respiratory diseases, over time (1990–2017).MethodsEcological study using a secondary analysis and linear regressions of public domain data to associate two datasets of population‐level data: (1) research publications for CR and PR (data from the PubMed database); and (2) global need for CR and PR (data from the Global Burden of Disease study).ResultsThe percentage of both CR and PR publications (among total rehabilitation research) significantly decreased from 1990 to 2017 (both: p < 0.01). PR needs and research publications were aligned: around 5% of total rehabilitation needs and rehabilitation research. For CR needs (around 2%, but significantly increasing since 1990), we found a greater portion of CR research publications (6.5% or over). Finally, we found an inverse association among the percentage of CR research publications and CR needs (b = −6.08; r2 = 0.37, p = 0.001).ConclusionThe portion of CR and PR research (among total rehabilitation research) is declining over time. Yearly percentage of CR publications were greater than those of PR but for lower level of rehabilitation need, but the disparate trend was significantly decreasing over time. Population rehabilitation needs and their alignment with research volume must be one factor in the design of population‐centred, equitable health research priorities.

No abstract