Integrated Mindfulness and Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Improves Cardiopulmonary Performance and Psychological Stress in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.
Jingjuan Qian, Chunjie Song, Meng Yuan, Yanfeng Bai, Dan Li, Yani Chen
Canadian respiratory journal 2026 DOI: 10.1155/carj/3058088 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 50 |
| Population | Clinically stable patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) |
| Duration | 6-week intervention |
| Measures | percentage of predicted peak oxygen uptake, oxygen delivery, arterial oxygen content, pulmonary vascular resistance, pulmonary artery compliance, HAMA, HAMD, SPBS |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Cardiopulmonary rehabilitation Mindfulness-based stress reduction Oxygen delivery Psychological stress Pulmonary arterial hypertension |
| Key findings | Adding MBSR to standard cardiopulmonary rehabilitation for 6 weeks improved cardiopulmonary exercise capacity, oxygen delivery, arterial oxygen content, and hemodynamic measures, and reduced anxiety, depression, and stress scores compared with health education and medication alone. The authors describe the combined intervention as safe with promising clinical applicability. |
Abstract
To investigate the effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) combined with cardiopulmonary rehabilitation (CR) training on cardiopulmonary function, oxygen delivery efficiency, and psychological stress in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). A total of 50 clinically stable PAH patients were randomly assigned to an intervention group (N = 25) and a control group (N = 25). The intervention group received a 6-week program combining MBSR and standardized CR, while the control group received conventional health education and standard pharmacological management. Cardiopulmonary exercise capacity, hemodynamic parameters, and psychological stress levels were assessed before and after the intervention. After 6 weeks, the intervention group showed significantly improved percentage of predicted peak oxygen uptake (84.3 ± 12.1% vs. 71.2 ± 13.4%, p = 0.001), oxygen delivery (1650 ± 410 mL/min vs. 1388 ± 375 mL/min, p = 0.022), and arterial oxygen content (18.5 ± 2.1 mL/dL vs. 17.1 ± 1.8 mL/dL, p = 0.015). Hemodynamically, pulmonary vascular resistance significantly decreased (415 ± 265 vs. 586 ± 310 dyn·s/cm5, p = 0.040), and pulmonary artery compliance increased (2.12 ± 0.46 mL/mmHg vs. 1.76 ± 0.42 mL/mmHg, p = 0.009). In terms of psychological stress, the intervention group showed significantly lower scores in HAMA (11.28 ± 3.94 vs. 14.22 ± 4.06, p = 0.013), HAMD (11.36 ± 4.32 vs. 15.26 ± 4.89, p = 0.011), and SPBS (18.04 ± 4.83 vs. 23.02 ± 5.44, p = 0.001) compared with the control group. MBSR combined with CR significantly improves cardiopulmonary exercise performance, oxygen transport capacity, and hemodynamic function in PAH patients, while also reducing psychological stress levels. This combined intervention demonstrates good safety and promising clinical applicability.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |