A 78-year-old retired man has a 10-year history of essential hypertension and aortic valve regurgitation. Since retirement, he has lived a sedentary life and gained 15 lb (6.75 kg). Lately he has considered starting an exercise program and wisely sought medical advice before beginning a program. He is concerned about his “heart condition” and would like to know what type of exercise he can engage in and the length and frequency of the sessions. On physical examination, the blood pressure was 130/70 mm Hg in both arms; the lungs were normal on auscultation; the heart rate was 80 beats/minute, and a grade 2/6 aortic regurgitant murmur was heard over the aortic area with radiation to the fourth left parasternal inter-costal space. There were S4, S1, and S2 heart sounds. The aortic valve regurgitation was hemodynamically stable; the end-systolic and end-diastolic left ventricular cavity diameters and...

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