Weight Supported Treadmill Ambulation in a Patient with Severe Congestive Heart Failure: A Case Report

Safanah Siddiqui¹, Muzammil Rehman¹, Jonathan Daich¹, John G Kral³, Louis Salciccioli¹, Ellen Godwin² and Jason M Lazar¹*

Received: August 15, 2018;   Published: August 22, 2018

DOI: 10.26717/BJSTR.2018.08.001621

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Abstract

We describe a 43-year old man with congestive heart failure (CHF) with markedly reduced ejection fraction and New York Heart Association Class 3 to 4 symptoms. After a 6-minute walk test showed a 140 m distance, he performed 6 weeks of walking sessions on a weight-supporting lower body positive pressure treadmill (LBPP). Unloading 40% of his body weight he was able to progressively increase the duration of the walking sessions, exhibited a post-session diuretic effect and dramatically increased his exercise capacity on a 6-minute walk test. He rated his satisfaction with the sessions as maximal. His functional class improved to class 2, remaining stable at 1-year follow-up. We conclude that repeated sessions of ambulation on a weight-supporting LBPP treadmill may benefit patients with CHF with reduced ejection fraction and poor functional capacity.

Keywords: Weight Supported Treadmill; Heart Failure; Lower Body Positive Pressure; Six Minute Walk Test

Abbrevation: CHF: Congestive Heart Failure; LBPP: Lower Body Positive Pressure

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