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©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Cardiol. Dec 26, 2025; 17(12): 111591
Published online Dec 26, 2025. doi: 10.4330/wjc.v17.i12.111591
Published online Dec 26, 2025. doi: 10.4330/wjc.v17.i12.111591
Examining the impact of blood flow restriction on cardiac rehabilitation outcomes
Pedro Gargallo-Bayo, Joaquin Calatayud, Luis Suso-Martí, Exercise Intervention for Health Research Group, Department of Physiotherapy, University of Valencia, Valencia 46010, Spain
Darío Rodrigo-Mallorca, Department of Physical and Sports Education, University of Valencia, Valencia 46010, Spain
Jordi Vicent-Micó, Department of Physiotherapy, University of Valencia, Valencia 46010, Spain
Iván Chulvi-Medrano, Research Group on Prevention and Health in Exercise and Sport, Department of Physical and Sports Education, University of Valencia, Valencia 46010, Spain
Author contributions: Gargallo-Bayo P and Chulvi-Medrano I contributed to conceptualization, methodology (review design and protocol), project administration; Rodrigo-Mallorca D and Vicent-Micó J contributed to search strategy and study selection, synthesis of results; Gargallo-Bayo P, Vicent-Micó J and Chulvi-Medrano I contributed to writing-original draft, visualization; Rodrigo-Mallorca D, Calatayud J and Suso-Martí L contributed to writing-review and editing; all authors contributed to critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content; all authors read and gave final approval of the final version to be published.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest related to the content of this manuscript.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Iván Chulvi-Medrano, PhD, Senior Researcher, Research Group on Prevention and Health in Exercise and Sport, Department of Physical and Sports Education, University of Valencia, C/Gascó Oliag 3, Valencia 46010, Spain. ivan.chulvi@uv.es
Received: July 4, 2025
Revised: July 30, 2025
Accepted: November 7, 2025
Published online: December 26, 2025
Processing time: 174 Days and 2.1 Hours
Revised: July 30, 2025
Accepted: November 7, 2025
Published online: December 26, 2025
Processing time: 174 Days and 2.1 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Blood flow restriction (BFR) training appears to be a safe and effective strategy to enhance muscle strength, functional capacity, and cardiorespiratory fitness in individuals with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Typically performed with low loads (10%-40% one-repetition maximum), continuous occlusion, and a frequency of 2-3 sessions per week, BFR has shown high adherence and favorable outcomes without serious adverse events. However, cautious implementation is essential in patients with advanced or unstable conditions. When applied under clinical supervision, BFR represents a promising adjunct to traditional cardiac rehabilitation programs, expanding therapeutic possibilities in CVD.