Intermittent hypoxic-hyperoxic training (IHHT) as adjunctive therapy for patients with coronary heart disease

Sports and exercise therapy in particular plays an important role in the optimal rehabilitation of patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). In the long term, effective cardiac rehabilitation reduces the risk of mortality and improves quality of life. However, a significant proportion of patients do not benefit fully from the therapy and, especially in the case of deconditioned patients, significant successes only materialise with longer therapy. Accompanying therapy measures can help to significantly improve the success of therapy, especially for these patients.

Based on the successful use of hypoxia training in (elite) sport, technical developments in recent years have also allowed hypoxia-based applications as potential therapies in rehabilitation. This is made possible above all by repeated, controlled and individualised hypoxia phases alternating with hyperoxic phases. Intermittent hypoxic-hyperoxic training (IHHT) consists of short phases with oxygen-depleted air (10 - 16 % O2) followed by phases with hyperoxic air (30 - 35 % O2), which significantly increases the patient's tolerance to treatment.

By controlling the oxygen saturation (SpO2), the intensity of the initiated hypoxia can be individually controlled. The physiological adaptive responses to IHHT essentially include an increase in the surface area of the alveoli, an increase in capillary density and an improvement in mitochondrial function. It is currently unclear whether (IHHT) can contribute to improving rehabilitation as an accompanying therapy in CHD patients.

The aim of the planned studies is to demonstrate the effectiveness of IHHT in improving the clinical picture and physical performance of CHD patients. We assume that regular therapy-accompanying IHHT (compared to standard therapy) leads to a greater improvement in physical performance and is therefore suitable as an additional therapy option for CHD patients. A randomised controlled intervention study is being conducted to test this.