Application of high-intensity interval exercise in patients with coronary heart disease

At present, cardiac rehabilitation as secondary prevention of coronary heart disease has been gradually applied in clinical practice, which can effectively improve the prognosis and outcome of patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). Exercises play an important part in cardiac rehabilitation, which can improve the cardiopulmonary functions and the exercise endurance of patients with coronary heart disease, thus improving the quality of life and the prognosis of patients. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) has a certain degree of superiority in improving cardiopulmonary functions, vascular endothelial functions and the quality of life compared with other kinds of exercises. However, some cardiac rehabilitation professionals still have doubts about its exercise safety due to its vigorousness, which restricts its application in the cardiac rehabilitation. This article aims to introduce HIIT in the aspects of the definition, the indications and contraindications, and the effects on cardiopulmonary functions, laboratory parameters, endothelial functions and the quality of life in patients with coronary artery disease. Furthermore, based on the previous reports that the combination of drugs and exercises can better improve the indicators of patients, we postulate that the implementation of HIIT combined with drugs may impose a positive effect on patients with coronary heart disease, which may provide new ideas and directions for clinical trial and exercise rehabilitation.