Cardiopulmonary rehabilitation in pulmonary arterial hypertension

Abstract

Cardiopulmonary rehabilitation is a promising therapy for Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) whose survival does not exceed 65% at five years. We performed a literature search about rehabilitation on PAH in MEDLINE, LILACS and COCHRANE databases, considering articles from 2005 to 2017. Fifteen articles were incorporated in the final analysis. We obtained information about safety parameters, type of exercises applied, duration and frequency of sessions. The interventions included aerobic, resistance and respiratory muscle training exercises. The results showed improvements in peak oxygen uptake, six minutes walking test, quality of life and inspiratory muscle strength, among others. We conclude that the evidence supports the recommendation of physical rehabilitation in selected patients with stable PAH as a complementary strategy to the available pharmacological therapy.