Therapeutic Efficacy of Shexiang Baoxin Pill Combined with Exercise in Patients with Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction: A Single-Center, Double-Blind, Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective:To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of Shexiang Baoxin Pill combined with exercise in heart failure patients with preserved ejection fraction(HFpEF).Methods:Sixty patients with HFpEF were randomly divided into group A(n=20),receiving Shexiang Baoxin Pill combined with home-based exercise training based on conventional drugs for 12 weeks;group B(n=20),receiving conventional drugs combined with home-based exercise training for 12 weeks;and group C(n=20),receiving conventional drug treatment only.Peak oxygen uptake(peakVO2),anaerobic threshold(AT),6-min walking test(6MWT),Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index(PSQI),and SF-36 questionnaire(SF-36)results before and after treatment were compared among groups.Results:After the 12-week intervention,patients in group C showed significant declines in peakVO2,AT,6MWT,PSQI,and SF-36 compared with pre-treatment(P<0.01),while groups A and B both showed significant improvements in peakVO2,AT,6MWT,PSQI,and SF-36 results compared with pre-treatment(P<0.01).Compared with group C,patients in groups A and B showed significant improvements in peakVO2,AT,6MWT,PSQI,and SF-36(P<0.01).In addition,patients in group A showed more significant improvements in physical function,role-physical,vitality,and mental health scores on the SF-36 questionnaire,and PSQI scores than those in group B(P<0.01).Conclusions:Exercise training improved exercise tolerance,sleep quality and quality of life(QoL)in patients with HFpEF.Notably,Shexiang Baoxin Pill played an active role in sleep quality and QoL of patients with HFpEF.