Ten weeks of brisk treadmill walking improved 6MWT distance, cardiorespiratory function, and patient-reported quality of life in female patients with group 1 PH.

ClinicalTrials.gov; No.: NCT01752114; URL: www.clinicaltrials.gov).

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PURPOSE To characterize the cardiorespiratory response to exercise before and after aerobic exercise training in patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD). METHODS We performed a clinical study, examining 13 patients (New York Heart Association/World Health Organization Functional Class II or III) before and after 10-weeks of supervised treadmill exercise walking, at 70–80% of heart rate reserve, 30–45 minutes per session, 3 times per week. Outcome variables included measures of cardiorespiratory function during a treadmill cardiopulmonary exercise test (tCPET), with additional near infrared spectroscopy measurements of peripheral oxygen extraction and bioimpedance cardiography measurements of cardiac output. 6-minute walk test distance (6MWD) was also measured. RESULTS All subjects participated in at least 24 of their 30, scheduled exercise sessions with no significant adverse events. After training, the mean 6MWD increased by 52±48 meters (P=.001), peak tCPET time increased by 163±130 seconds (P=.001), and time to achieve gas exchange threshold increased by 145±37 seconds (P<.001). Despite a negligible increase in peak oxygen uptake (VO2) with no changes to cardiac output, the overall work rate/VO2 relationship was enhanced after training. Muscle oxygen extraction increased by 16% (P=.049) after training. CONCLUSION Clinically significant improvements in cardiorespiratory function were observed after aerobic exercise training in this group of subjects with ILD. These improvements appear to have been mediated by increases in the peripheral extraction of oxygen rather than changes in oxygen delivery.