EFFECTS OF HIGH-INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING ON FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY AND ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC PARAMETERS AFTER MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION: A CASE REPORT
Keywords:
myocardial infarction, cardiac rehabilitation, interval training, exercise tolerance, echocardiography, secondary preventionAbstract
The purpose of this case report is to describe the impact of high intensity interval training implemented within a structured cardiac rehabilitation program and its clinical effects in a patient following a recent myocardial infarction. Cardiac rehabilitation represents a key component of secondary prevention after myocardial infarction, combining supervised exercise training with patient education, risk factor modification, and lifestyle interventions to improve functional capacity, reduce the risk of recurrent cardiovascular events, and enhance long term quality of life. Interval based exercise has gained increasing interest as a training approach that may lead to meaningful improvements in exercise tolerance and cardiac performance in selected post myocardial infarction patients compared with traditional continuous training. A 59 year old woman with type 2 diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and diabetic polyneuropathy experienced an acute myocardial infarction and underwent selective coronary angiography followed by percutaneous coronary intervention with implantation of two stents in the right coronary artery. Given her metabolic comorbidities, the patient was considered at increased risk for impaired recovery and reduced functional capacity in the early post event period. Early follow up included routine clinical evaluation and baseline functional assessment using echocardiography and exercise testing, demonstrating mildly impaired left ventricular performance and markedly reduced exercise capacity. These findings supported the need for early initiation of structured rehabilitation aimed at restoring functional capacity and optimizing cardiovascular recovery. Pharmacological therapy was optimized as part of secondary prevention, and the patient was enrolled in a supervised cardiac rehabilitation program with an individualized exercise prescription. The training protocol consisted of repeated high intensity exercise intervals guided by peak heart rate targets, interspersed with active recovery periods, and progressed according to tolerance and clinical response under professional supervision. Two months after completion of the intervention, follow up evaluation demonstrated improvements, including better echocardiographic markers of left ventricular performance and substantially enhanced functional capacity compared with baseline assessment. The observed improvements suggest enhanced cardiovascular efficiency and exercise tolerance following structured interval based training during post myocardial infarction recovery. Interval based exercise may be considered within formal cardiac rehabilitation programs for carefully selected patients after myocardial infarction, in combination with guideline directed medical therapy, risk factor control, and gradual progression of intensity under appropriate monitoring to optimize safety and outcomes. Further studies are warranted to clarify optimal interval protocols, progression strategies, and patient selection criteria in the early post myocardial infarction phase.
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