Heart failure & cardiomyopathiesMeta-analysis
Effect of exercise modality and intensity on endothelial function in patients with cardiovascular disease: a systematic review and network meta-analysis
- Systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised and non-randomised trials
- frequentist
- Databases searched up to April 2025
Authors' conclusion
Exercise significantly enhances endothelial function in patients with CVD. HIIE emerged as the most robust and evidence-based modality, demonstrating superior efficacy over moderate continuous exercise.
Study context
- Population
- Adults with CAD or chronic HF
- Participants
- 6,818 adults · 37 studies
- Comparison
- Exercise modalities and intensities vs usual care
- Outcome
- Brachial flow-mediated dilation (FMD)
Pooled result
As reported in the abstract
Brachial FMD
MD, % (95% CI)
MAE vs UC
2.04(1.01–3.07)
HIIE vs UC
3.47(2.02–4.92)
MCE vs UC
2.71(0.05–5.36)
HCE vs UC
8.25(3.18–13.32)
HIIE vs MAE
1.43(0.09–2.78)
Further pooled results
| Outcome | Values |
|---|---|
| SUCRA ranking · HCE ranking relied on a single group | HCE SUCRA 98.2% |
| SUCRA ranking, sensitivity analyses | HIIE SUCRA 84.0% · MRE SUCRA 61.6% · MCE SUCRA 61.3% |
Original publication
Effect of exercise modality and intensity on endothelial function in patients with cardiovascular disease: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Eur J Prev Cardiol. Published 19 February 2026. doi:10.1093/eurjpc/zwag118
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it