Hospital-based SET two days per week for 12 weeks and one home-based exercise session every week. The group-based SET was based on The Norwegian Ullevaal Model, a modified cardiac rehabilitation program, and was slightly adjusted to be applicable to this patient group. Each SET session lasted for 60 minutes and consisted of warm-up exercises, three high-intensity, two moderate-intensity and cool-down exercises, including stretching. The exercises were generally simple aerobic dance movements and walking and involved the use of both upper and lower extremities. The warm-up exercises included large muscle movements that were repeated later in the higher-intensity intervals, but with greater force and a larger range of movement.

The control group did not receive any additional follow-up regarding exercise at discharge beyond the general advice about the importance of exercise that is routinely provided at the hospital.

Training 3 times per week for 6 months, the first 3 months with an instructor