AJP - Heart and Circulatory Physiology, Vol 243, Issue 5 830-H836, Copyright © 1982 by American Physiological Society
Skeletal muscle and cardiac changes with training in patients with angina pectoris
R. J. Ferguson, A. W. Taylor, P. Cote, J. Charlebois, Y. Dinelle, F. Peronnet, J. De Champlain and M. G. Bourassa
Cardiovascular and skeletal muscle adaptations were studied before and
after 6 mo of physical training in patients with coronary artery disease
and exertional angina pectoris. Symptom-limited exercise capacity increased
by 41% (470 +/- 30 to 665 +/- 35 kg.m.min-1; n = 29, P less than 0.001)
with training as did skeletal muscle succinate dehydrogenase activity (1.75
+/- 0.24 to 3.31 +/- 0.24 IU; n = 23, P less than 0.001) and the areas of
muscle fibers (type I from 43.6 +/- 3.3 to 54.4 +/- 3.3 micrometers 2 X
10(2); n = 21, P less than 0.05 and type II from 43.9 +/- 2.4 to 57.2 +/-
5.1 micrometers 2 X 10(2); P less than 0.01). At the same submaximal
exercise intensity (mean 355 +/- 100 km.m.min-1), plasma catecholamines
(1.31 +/- 0.14 to 1.07 +/- 0.09 ng.ml-1; n = 13, P less than 0.05), heart
rate (115 +/- 3 to 97 +/- 3 beats/min; n = 29, P less than 0.001), and
systolic blood pressure (171 +/- 4 to 143 +2- 4 mmHg; n = 29, P less than
0.001) were significantly reduced after training. Maximal coronary sinus
blood flow (192 +/- 10 to 208 +/- 9 ml.min-1; n = 29, P less than 0.05) and
left ventricular oxygen consumption (23.2 +/- 1.5 to 25.8 +/- 1.6 ml.min-1;
n = 24, P less than 0.05) were increased by 8 and 11%, respectively, after
training. The improvement in exercise capacity with training in patients
with exercise is secondary to a reduction in myocardial oxygen requirements
during subangina levels of exercise and partly to a small increase in
maximal myocardial oxygen consumption. The skeletal muscle adaptations with
training were not related to other indices of training such as the reduced
exercise heart rate or increased symptom-limited exercise capacity.
