MAGELLAN LONGEVITY
HomeResearchStudy library › Effects of high intensity inspiratory muscle training in patients…
Study summary · Cardiovascular & vascular aging

What are the effects of high intensity interval-based inspiratory muscle training (H-IMT) on cardiovascular, pulmonary, physical, and psychosocial functions in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF)?

In one paragraph

Inspiratory Muscle Strength Trainer, a randomized controlled trial (Heart Lung 2023, PMID 37285766) — high intensity inspiratory muscle training improves multiple health markers in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction. Scope: over 8 weeks, and the abstract states no limitations.

Source: Heart Lung 2023, PMID 37285766 ↗ · Research map · How Magellan grades evidence · evidence confidence: low

Heart Lung · 2023 · PMID 37285766 · DOI 10.1016/j.hrtlng.2023.05.011

Plain-English summary written and published by Magellan Longevity · medical review by Gabriel Radu, DO (physiatrist, NPI 1376861765). We summarize what the paper reported — we did not run this study.

The takeaway

High intensity inspiratory muscle training improves multiple health markers in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction.

The question

What are the effects of high intensity interval-based inspiratory muscle training (H-IMT) on cardiovascular, pulmonary, physical, and psychosocial functions in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF)?

What they tested

The study hypothesized that determining the most appropriate IMT protocol, specifically high intensity interval-based inspiratory muscle training, would optimize training benefits in patients with heart failure.

How they did it

Thirty-four HFrEF patients were randomized to either an H-IMT group or a control group for 8 weeks, 3 days/week. The H-IMT group trained at 70% of maximal inspiratory pressure, while the control group performed unloaded IMT. Each session involved 7 sets of 2-min training and 1-min interval, totaling 21 minutes. Various cardiovascular, pulmonary, physical, and psychosocial functions were assessed at baseline and after 8 weeks by blinded assessors.

What they found

Statistically significant between-group differences favoring the H-IMT group were observed in time domain parameters of heart rate variability, arterial stiffness, inspiratory and quadriceps muscle strength, respiratory muscle endurance, diaphragm thickness, functional capacity, frailty, dyspnea, fatigue, and disease-specific health-related quality of life.

What it means

High intensity interval-based inspiratory muscle training (H-IMT) is an effective protocol for improving cardiac autonomic function, arterial stiffness, inspiratory and quadriceps muscle strength, respiratory muscle endurance, diaphragm thickness, functional capacity, frailty, dyspnea, fatigue, and disease-specific quality of life in patients with HFrEF.

Limitations

The abstract does not explicitly state any limitations of the study.

Where the published abstract does not list limitations, we say so rather than inventing them. Read the full paper on PubMed before drawing conclusions.

“between-group differences in arterial stiffness and inspiratory muscle strength favored the training group”— from the published abstract, Heart Lung 2023

The paper at a glance

TitleEffects of high intensity inspiratory muscle training in patients with heart failure: a randomized controlled trial
JournalHeart Lung
Year2023
PMID37285766 ↗
DOI10.1016/j.hrtlng.2023.05.011 ↗
TopicCardiovascular & vascular aging

Read the source: PubMed record (authors, abstract, full citation) ↗ · Publisher via doi.org ↗

Where Magellan uses this paper

This citation sits behind the evidence grade on the pages below. Grades are set from the research and are independent of affiliate commissions.

Inspiratory Muscle Strength Trainer

In randomized trials, most prominently sham-controlled work from the University of Colorado in midlife and older adults, about six weeks of high-resistance IMST performed a few minutes a day lowered systolic blood pressure by roughly 9 mmHg and improved vascular endothelial function, with much of the effect…

Inspiratory Muscle Strength Trainer

An inspiratory muscle strength trainer is a small handheld device that imposes a high resistance on…

Check price on Amazon ↗

Research describes the compound or intervention studied. It is not a claim about any specific product.

Molecules & mechanisms in this paper

Each of these is named in the paper’s own words above. Open the monograph for the full mechanism and its other citations.

Cite this page

These citations point at this summary. To cite the original paper with its full author list, use the PubMed record or doi.org.

APA
Magellan Longevity. (2026). What are the effects of high intensity interval-based inspiratory muscle training (H-IMT) on cardiovascular, pulmonary, physical, and psychosocial functions in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF)? [Plain-English summary of Heart Lung 2023, PMID 37285766, DOI 10.1016/j.hrtlng.2023.05.011]. Magellan Longevity. https://magellanlongevity.com/study/d37285766.html
BibTeX
@misc{magellan_d37285766, title = {What are the effects of high intensity interval-based inspiratory muscle training (H-IMT) on cardiovascular, pulmonary, physical, and psychosocial functions in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF)?}, author = {{Magellan Longevity}}, year = {2026}, howpublished = {\url{https://magellanlongevity.com/study/d37285766.html}}, note = {Plain-English summary of PubMed PMID 37285766; DOI 10.1016/j.hrtlng.2023.05.011; Heart Lung 2023. Reviewed by Gabriel Radu, DO}, urldate = {2026-08-11} }
Permalink
https://magellanlongevity.com/study/d37285766.html

Related studies in the Magellan library

All 67 Magellan summaries on cardiovascular & vascular aging →

How this summary was made. Every section above restates what the published abstract of PMID 37285766 reports — the question, the design, the numbers, the authors’ own conclusion and their stated limitations. We do not add claims the paper did not make, and we keep negative and no-effect findings in. Magellan’s evidence grades are set from research like this and never from affiliate commissions.

Prefer the interactive version? Open this summary in the Magellan app → · Browse all 314 study summaries →

Educational information, not medical advice. This is a plain-English summary of published research; it is not a treatment recommendation and nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Individual studies can be wrong, and a single paper rarely settles a question. Talk to your physician before acting on any research, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medication.