Heart failure & cardiomyopathiesCohort study
Intermittent Hypoxic-Hyperoxic Exposure in Patients with Heart Failure – A Pilot Study
- prospective mechanistic feasibility study
- pilot study
Authors' conclusion
Ten-week IHHE was safe and feasible in HF patients and led to improved BP and body composition and showed trends toward better exercise capacity. Larger randomized trials are needed to confirm these results.
Study context
- Population
- Outpatients with heart failure with preserved (HFpEF) or reduced (HFrEF) ejection fractionoutpatients who completed the study · HFpEF 5 · HFrEF 4
- Participants
- Nine outpatients
- Exposure
- Pre- vs post-intervention assessments
- Intermittent hypoxia-hyperoxia exposure (IHHE)n = Nine
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Safety and tolerability
IHHE was safe and well tolerated (adherence 95%), with no adverse events
95%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Post-session blood pressure and heart rate · weeks 1-10
- systolic blood pressure β
- −5.95 mmHg
- diastolic blood pressure β
- −3.74 mmHg
- heart rate β
- −5.18 bpm
- all p< 0.001
Body composition
- fat mass index (pre vs post)
- 9.32±2.56 vs. 8.92±2.41 kg/m² (P=0.031)
- visceral fat area (pre vs post)
- 127.6±30.6 vs. 121.9±29.7 cm² (P=0.005)
- body mineral content (pre vs post)
- 3.14±0.57 vs. 3.21±0.55 kg (P=0.028)
- tissue impedance RB250 (pre vs post)
- 4.02±0.50 vs. 4.12±0.56 kHz, P=0.041
Exercise capacity and muscle strength
- peak VO2 (pre vs post)
- 1536 [1148; 2064] vs. 1828 [1476; 2175] mL/min (P=0.674, about +300 mL/min)
- 6MWT (pre vs post)
- 499.66±71.65 vs. 521.12±62.59 m (P=0.260, about +22 m)
- right leg peak torque flexion (pre vs post)
- 74±21.77 vs. 81.68±22.67 Nm (P=0.109)
- right leg peak torque extension (pre vs post)
- 119.89±36.31 vs. 122.69±38.77 Nm (P=0.641)
- numeric improvement (not statistically significant)
Right heart catheterization hemodynamics
- left ventricular systolic pressure during hypoxia
- 151 vs. 120 mmHg
- no adverse acute hemodynamic effects
Quality of life (QoL)
- No changes in QoL
- P ≥ 0.384
Original publication
Intermittent Hypoxic-Hyperoxic Exposure in Patients with Heart Failure – A Pilot Study. ESC Heart Fail. Published 4 September 2026. doi:10.1093/eschf/xvag233
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it