Novel Cardiac Rehabilitation in Patients Heart Failure and Preserved Ejection Fraction

Inclusion Criteria:

NYHA class II or III symptoms
Referred by physician to CR with echocardiographic evidence of HFpEF defined as an ejection fraction ≥ 50 % and moderate to severe (grade II-III) diastolic dysfunction.
≥ 50 years of age
Free of orthopedic or other medical problems that would limit participation in CR
Peak VO2 on baseline cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPX) < 24 mL/kg/min in men and <21 mL/kg/min in women

Exclusion Criteria:

Systolic dysfunction, per ejection fraction < 50%; those with mild (grade I) diastolic dysfunction
Initial clinical responses observed during first 3 visits in CR or baseline exercise test that would preclude participation in study over-all (e.g., new onset/troublesome arrhythmia that warrants further investigation) or undergoing HIIT (e.g., claudication, balance issue)
Patients with exercise induced angina during CR or CPX testing or ST segment depression representative of myocardial ischemia during CPX testing
Pregnant or planning to become pregnant
Any patient recently hospitalized for heart failure will have to wait at least 2 weeks before starting CR, or until clinically stable per physician(whichever time period is greater)
Atrial fibrillation