Physical training enhances sympathetic and parasympathetic control of heart rate and peripheral vessels in chronic heart failure.

1. Physical training has been proposed to increase vagal control of heart rate in chronic heart failure. We studied the effects of physical training on cardiovascular control in 6 moderate to severe heart failure (NYHA II-III) patients and 6 age matched normal controls in a randomized controlled cross over trial (Training vs Detraining). 2. Five weeks training (20 min/day, 5 days/week bicycle exercise) increased peak VO2 in both C (from 31.2 +/- 1.4 to 37.7 +/- 2.4 ml/kg/min p < 0.01) and CHF patients (from 12.16 +/- 2.2 to 14.13 +/- 2 ml/kg/min p < 0.05). The sympathovagal control of heart rate and sympathetic control of the resistance vessels was assessed by the power of the oscillations (LF:0.03-0.15 Hz index of sympathetic activity, HF: 0.18-0.35 Hz index of vagal activity) in RR interval, blood pressure (systolic and diastolic by Finapres) and respiration by autoregressive spectral analysis, during free and controlled breathing (15b/min), in order to increase vagal activity. 3. T increased heart rate vagal control both in C (LF/HF ratio fb to cb: (D) 1.73 +/- 0.35 to 1.19 +/- 0.43 p = NS: (T) 2.9 +/- 1.2 to 1.13 +/- 0.3 p < 0.05) and in CHF patients (LF/HF ratio fb to cb: (D) 2.05 +/- 0.56 to 1.24 +/- 0.21 p = NS; (T) 2.6 +/- 0.89 to 0.87 +/- 0.15 p < 0.05; and in cb HF%: 36.2 +/- 2.7 (D) to 46.2 +/- 4.8 (T) p < 0.05). Before T, the sympathetic modulation of peripheral vessels (% LF compared to total variability) was depressed in CHF vs C (SBP: 9 +/- 2 vs 42 +/- 12% p < 0.05; DBP: 29 +/- 7 vs 55 +/- 31%, p < 0.05), and increased significantly after T in CHF (SBP from 9 +/- 2 (D) to 19 +/- 5% (T) p < 0.05; DBP from 29 +/- 7 to 41 +/- 11% (T) p < 0.05). This suggests an overall increase of autonomic control, both vagal on the heart and sympathetic on the peripheral vessels, in CHF by physical training.