Left heart function and physical training in rehabilitation of the patients with post-infarction cardiosclerosis

The study included 95 men, who underwent a rehabilitation course at the Ashgabat resort in four or more months after myocardial infarction. Left heart functional reserve was assessed by standard parameters, such as chamber sizes, left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction, LV myocardial mass, and the size of dyskinetic zones. Based on these characteristics, a coefficient of myocardial reserve utilization (CMRU) was calculated. This coefficient provided a complex assessment of left heart function and functional reserve. It also helped to identify the patients with reduced left heart reserve, in whom physical training did not result in substantial improvement of cardiovascular function. In these patients, physical training is associated with higher risk, due to more severe myocardial ischemia and higher incidence of cardiac arrhythmias. Therefore, this clinical group needs a less intense programme of physical training.