IJCS | Volume 32, Nº4, July/August 2019

410 Table 1 - Benefits of exercise training in stroke survivors (n = 9) Authors Sample Intervention Main findings Quality (PEDro Scale) Quaney et al., 36 2009 38 subjects (17 men and 21 women) (> 6 months poststroke). Aerobic training ↑ Maximal oxygen uptake 6/10 Globas et al., 37 2012 36 subjects (29 men and 7 women) (≥ 6 months poststroke) Aerobic training ↑ Peak aerobic capacity, ↑ 6 minutes’ walk test 7/10 Jin et al., 38 2012 133 subjects (94 men and 39 women) (≥ 6 months poststroke) Aerobic training ↑ Peak VO 2 , L/min, ↑ peak VO 2 , mL/kg/min 4/10 Jin et al., 43 2013 128 subjects (91 men and 37 women) (≥ 6 months poststroke) Aerobic training ↑ Peak VO 2 , L/min, ↑ peak VO 2 , mL/kg/min, ↓ resting HR beats/min 4/10 Gordon, Wilks, McCaw-Binns, 39 2013 128 subjects (64 men and 64 women) (> 6 months poststroke) Aerobic training ↑ 6 minutes’ walk test 7/10 Severinsen et al., 40 2014 48 subjects (men) (≥ 6 months poststroke) Resistance training ↑ Peak aerobic capacity 5/10 Lee at al., 41 2015 26 subjects (> 6 months poststroke) Aerobic training + resistance training ↑ 6 minutes’ walk test 7/10 Ivey et al., 41 2017 30 subjects (21 men and 9 women) (> 6 months poststroke) Resistance training ↑ 6 minutes’ walk test, ↑ peak aerobic capacity 4/10 Marzolini et al., 44 2018 44 subjects (men) (> 6 months poststroke) Aerobic training+resistance training ↑ 6 minutes’ walk test, ↑ peak VO 2 , mL/kg/min, ↓ resting HR beats/min 6/10 Bavaresco Gambassi et al. Exercise and cardiovascular variables poststroke Int J Cardiovasc Sci. 2019;32(4):408-413 Review Article Results A total of 544 articles were initially selected, of which nine peer-reviewed articles met the search criteria. These nine studies enrolled 611 participants (middle-aged or elderly) stroke survivors. The retrieved studies and population characteristics, intervention, and outcomes are shown in Table 1. After analysis of the selected studies, we found that aerobic training was the predominant exercise training modality, and the main benefits were observed in the following: maximal oxygen uptake, peak aerobic capacity, 6 minutes’ walk test and resting heart rate beats/min (Table 1). There were no accidents involving the participants during the programs (exercise training) in the nine studies selected. However, 17 patients were excluded for the following reasons: absences from training days, lack of motivation, kidney disease, alcoholism, epilepsy, knee pain, inability to perform tests, and dropping out of the study. These findings indicate that the exercise training programs used in these studies seemed to be safe. Discussion To our knowledge, this is the first review on cardiovascular and autonomic impairments caused by stroke and the effects of exercise training on these variables in this population. It is widely recognized that the practice of structured exercise training programmay provide several benefits for both healthy individuals and those affected by chronic degenerative diseases. 23-35 Some reviews and meta-analyses have already demonstrated positive effects of exercise training on functional parameters and on the aerobic capacity of poststroke individuals.