Systematic review of the effect of exercise on the reduction of myocardial remodeling following a myocardial infarction compared to a sedentary approach

Background: Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in humans worldwide. Ventricular remodeling following a myocardial infarction leads to detrimental outcomes due to cardiovascular death and ventricular dysfunction. Exercise training is an adjunct strategy to reduce the myocardial remodeling process. Purpose: The paper seeks to answer the following PICO question: P: Population with post- infarct myocardial-remodeling I: Exercise following a myocardial infarction C: Sedentary approach O: Prevention of deleterious myocardial remodeling post-MI Methods: A comprehensive literature review was done using PubMed and Science Direct with articles published in 2019 or after. The search was conducted using the terms: myocardial remodeling exercise, post-infarct ventricular remodeling, post-infarct myocardial remodeling exercise, post-infarct myocardial remodeling, and myocardial remodeling training. Peer- reviewed articles and scholarly journals were included in the search. Conclusions: Studies in which exercise was introduced following a myocardial infarction have demonstrated a reduction in cardiac remodeling and an improvement in overall cardiac function. These findings suggest that an exercise program following a myocardial infarction can benefit patients in reducing negative complications such as cardiac wall thinning, infarct expansion, and heart failure