Song Lin, Xiao Lu, Shaoliang Chen, Fei Ye, Junjie Zhang, Yulin Ma, Jianan Li
DOI: 10.2340/16501977-0989

Objective: To determine whether isometric exercise increases collateral flow in remote ischaemic myocardium in acute coronary occlusion models of patients with coronary artery disease.
Design: A randomized controlled study.
Subjects: Sixty-five patients with 1-vessel coronary artery disease.
Methods: Subjects were randomly assigned to either the isometric exercise group or non-exercise group. Patients in the exercise group performed isometric handgrip exercises (50% maximal voluntary contraction) during 1 min coronary balloon occlusion, while patients in the non-exercise group remained sedentary. The collateral flow index, heart rate, systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure were determined prior to and following 1 min of coronary occlusion.
Results: In the exercise group, difference values for collateral flow index (after coronary occlusion – before coronary occlusion) were significantly higher than those in the non-exercise group (0. 04 standard deviation (SD) 0. 05 vs 0. 01 (SD 0. 03), p < 0. 01). Differences in heart rate, systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure were also significantly higher than controls (heart rate 7. 84 (SD 8. 20) vs 0. 88 (SD 3. 96), p<0. 01; systolic blood pressure: 3. 25 (SD 7. 17) vs –1. 88 (SD 6. 21), p < 0. 01; diastolic blood pressure 5. 88 (SD 6. 40) vs –1. 5 (SD 6. 22), p < 0. 01).
Conclusion: Isometric exercise in patients with coronary artery disease induced an increase in coronary collateral flow during acute vessel occlusion, which was significantly different from control occlusion.