Stair climbing outcomes in cardiac rehabilitation exercise (score) trial

One in twelve Canadians are living with heart disease; and, by the age of 65, it is the leading cause of death. After a cardiac event, exercise improves recovery, reduces the chance of reoccurrence, and the benefits are maintained as exercise is adhered to. The purpose of this study is to assess the changes in cardiac structure and function in individuals with coronary artery disease undergoing traditional endurance-based exercise (TRAD) in comparison to stair-climbing-based high-intensity interval training (HIIT). Eligible participants are recruited from the Cardiac Health and Rehabilitation Centre at the Hamilton General Hospital to complete three cardiac testing sessions at the beginning, middle and end of the cardiac rehabilitation exercise program. As of September 2018, seven participants have successfully completed three months of cardiac rehabilitation as part of either the HIIT or TRAD groups, and an additional three participants are enrolled in the exercise program. The team believes that stair-climbing-based HIIT has the potential to elicit similar physiological benefits as traditional cardiac rehabilitation, albeit with increased time efficiency and minimal equipment requirements. Recruitment, testing, and analysis is currently ongoing to understand the full benefits of this exercise modality on the cardiovascular system. Thus far, the SCORE trial has demonstrated stair climbing-based HIIT exercise is feasible within standard cardiac rehabilitation programming.