Effectiveness and safety of home-based versus centre-based exercise programmes for pulmonary hypertension: a systematic review with meta-analysis.

Introduction

Pulmonary hypertension is a pathophysiological disorder with poor prognosis. Exercise intolerance and lower physical activity levels are common features of pulmonary hypertension and affect patients' quality of life. Exercise training effectively improves clinical outcomes in this population, but access to rehabilitation centres is often limited. A home-based exercise training component could be an accessible and cost-effective alternative, but the efficacy and safety of this approach in pulmonary hypertension remain unclear.

Methods

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies retrieved from six international databases. The studies evaluated home-based exercise interventions in patients with pulmonary hypertension, including both stand-alone and hybrid setups, and assessed safety, efficacy (exercise capacity, cardiorespiratory outcomes and functional class) and adherence.

Results

We included 19 studies. Compared with inactive controls, home-based exercise training improved the 6-min walk distance (mean difference (MD) 54.85 m, p<0.01), peak oxygen uptake (standardised MD 0.83 mL·kg−1·min−1, p<0.01), ventilatory efficiency (MD −3.93, p<0.01) and quality of life scores. Improvements in clinical outcomes were comparable between home-based and centre-based interventions. No clinical worsening or exercise training-related severe adverse events were reported; however, most studies did not report health-related self-monitoring strategies at home. The level of adherence was generally high, and the drop-out rates were comparable between home-based and centre-based interventions.

Conclusion

Home-based exercise interventions appear to be viable alternatives to centre-based programmes for patients with pulmonary hypertension, showing comparable improvements in clinical outcomes. However, limited reporting on self-monitoring may affect the overall safety assessment. Further research is needed to determine the optimal implementation of these interventions.