FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute

Report No: DOT/FAA/AM-66/17

Title and Subtitle: Problems in aeromedical certification: Cardiovascular responses to exercise following myocardial infarction.

Report Date: June 1966

Authors: Naughton J, Shanbour K, Armstrong R, McCoy J, Lategola MT.

Abstract: In order to evaluate the quality of the cardiovascular adjustments of cardiac patients to exercise, 12 men who had recovered from well-documented episodes of myocardial infarction were evaluated with a work-capacity test while sedentary and after 8 months of regular, vigorous physical activity. Their responses were compared with those of 12 other cardiac patients and 12 healthy men tested in a similar manner at 8-month intervals.

Prior to reconditioning, the 12 cardiac patients had blood-pressure and pulse-rate responses similar to those recorded in the two sedentary groups at comparable levels of energy expenditure. Following the reconditioning, however, these 12 patients had significantly lower levels of systolic and diastolic blood pressure (P0.05) and significantly lower pulse rates (P0.05) throughout testing.

These results suggest that the asymptomatic cardiac patient with a well-healed myocardial infarction has the ability to respond to physical conditioning in a manner similar to that observed to occur in presumably healthy individuals. These cardiovascular adjustments following training reflect a more efficient cardiovascular mechanism for adjusting to physical stress.

Key Words: heart, cardiovascular system, pathology, exercise (physiology), cardiovascular diseases, blood pressure, pulse rate, stress (physiology).

No. of Pages: 8