Left ventricular dysfunction, exercise capacity and activity recommendations.

There is lack of consistent correlation between left ventricular function at rest, haemodynamic measurements at rest, symptomatic status and exercise tolerance. Haemodynamic data appear comparable in patients whose exercise tolerance is limited clinically by fatigue and by breathlessness. Selected patients with left ventricular dysfunction and compensated congestive heart failure can safely undergo both exercise testing and training, and an improvement in functional status can be anticipated to result from exercise training.