| Abstract [eng] |
Pulmonary hypertension (PH) and chronic heart failure (HF) are severe cardiovascular disorders, both of which are characterised by reduced physical capacity of the patients and poor survival. Despite modern treatment options, most PH patients still suffer from symptoms, poor health related quality of life and disease progression. The thesis evaluates the feasibility, safety and efficacy of a specialised rehabilitation programme in addition to optimal medical therapy in patients with precapillary and post-capillary PH. A prospective, multicentre, randomised, usual care controlled trial showed that a specialised rehabilitation programme is safe and effective for precapillary PH patients. This thesis also collects and describes data on organisational aspects that fill the knowledge gap and promote the use of PH rehabilitation in dedicated PH centres. This study also presents a systematic literature review, assessing the scientific evidence on the effects of exercise training and physiotherapy on cardiac morphological, functional and pulmonary blood flow parameters in patients, diagnosed with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and shares a newly developed multicentre study protocol to assess the effects of exercise training on PH-HFpEF patients. |
