Effect of exercise training in supervised cardiac rehabilitation programs on prognostic variables from the exercise tolerance test

Meta-analyses showed that exercise training decreased mortality in patients after myocardial infarction, but no single adequately powered trial has shown this benefit. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of cardiac rehabilitative exercise training on prognostic variables derived from the exercise tolerance test and whether these changes had an effect on predicted cardiovascular and all-cause mortality using externally validated risk scores. Two hundred ten consecutive patients who completed a 12-week cardiac rehabilitation program were analyzed. Peak MET level, heart rate recovery, chronotropic index, Duke prognostic score, and Cleveland Clinic Foundation risk score obtained at program entry and exit were compared. All prognostic variables and risk score-derived predicted 5-year mortality rates improved significantly after cardiac rehabilitation. Exercise capacity increased by 32% (6.6 +/- 2.7 to 8.7 +/- 2.9 METS; p <0.0001), heart rate recovery increased by 20% (15 +/- 9 to 18 +/- 10 beats/min; p <0.0001), and chronotropic index increased by 11% (56 +/- 22% to 62 +/- 22%; p <0.0001). Duke prognostic score 5-year predicted cardiovascular mortality rate decreased by 33% (6 +/- 4% to 4 +/- 2%; p <0.0001), and Cleveland Clinic Foundation risk score 5-year predicted total mortality rate decreased by 40% (5 +/- 7% to 3 +/- 5%; p <0.0001). These improvements remained significant in high-risk subgroups. When controlled for age, gender, diabetes, MET level achieved, ejection fraction, and beta-blocker use, changes remained significant (p <0.0001) for each outcome measure. In conclusion, exercise training in supervised cardiac rehabilitation programs significantly improved exercise capacity, measures of chronotropic dynamics, and prognostic risk scores. These differences translate into a decrease in predicted mortality.     

Barriers to participation in and adherence to cardiac rehabilitation programs: a critical literature review

Despite the documented evidence of the benefits of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) in enhancing recovery and reducing mortality following a myocardial infarction, only about one third of patients participate in such programs. Adherence to these programs is an even bigger problem, with only about one third maintaining attendance in these programs after 6 months. This review summarizes research that has investigated barriers to participation and adherence to CR programs. Some consistent factors found to be associated with participation in CR programs include lack of referral by physicians, associated illness, specific cardiac diagnoses, reimbursement, self-efficacy, perceived benefits of CR, distance and transportation, self-concept, self-motivation, family composition, social support, self-esteem, and occupation. Factors associated with non-adherence include being older, female gender, having fewer years of formal education, perceiving the benefits of CR, having angina, and being less physically active during leisure time. However, many of the studies have methodologic flaws, with very few controlled, randomized studies, making the findings tentative. Problems in objectively measuring adherence to unstructured, non-hospital-based programs, which are an increasingly popular alternative to traditional programs, are discussed. Suggestions for reducing barriers to participation and adherence to CR programs, as well as for future research aimed at clearly identifying these barriers, are discussed.     

The acute mood effects of a single rehabilitation exercise session on cardiac patients

In this study the acute emotional effects of exercise training were examined in a sample of 60 cardiac patients who were attending a community cardiac rehabilitation programme. A battery of questionnaires which included standard psychological tests assessing positive effect (PE), negative effect (NE) and state anxiety (SA) were administered 10 minutes pre-exercise and 10 minutes post-exercise. Change in psychological state over the duration of the exercise session was investigated. Immediately following the exercise session there was a significant increase in PE, a significant decrease in NE and a significant decrease in SA. The majority of patients reported a positive baseline psychological profile. Psychological and physiological arguments are put forward to explain the results. The implications of the findings are discussed.     

Home-based cardiac rehabilitation compared with centre-based rehabilitation and usual care: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: To determine the effectiveness of home-based cardiac rehabilitation programmes compared with (i) usual care and (ii) supervised centre-based cardiac rehabilitation on mortality, health related quality of life and modifiable cardiac risk factors of patients with coronary heart disease. METHODS: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Main outcome measures: mortality, smoking cessation, exercise capacity, systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, psychological status, and health related quality of life. RESULTS: Eighteen included trials for home versus usual rehabilitation and six trials of home versus supervised centre-based rehabilitation were identified. The home-based interventions were clinically heterogeneous, trials often small, with quality poorly reported. Compared with usual care, home-based cardiac rehabilitation had a 4 mm Hg (95% CI 6.5, 1.5) greater reduction in systolic blood pressure, and a reduced relative risk of being a smoker at follow-up (RR 0.71, 95% CI 0.51, 1.00). Differences in exercise capacity, total cholesterol, anxiety and depression were all in favour of the home-based group. In patients post-myocardial infarction exercise capacity was significantly improved in the home rehabilitation group by 1.1 METS (95% CI 0.2, 2.1) compared to usual care. The comparison of home-based with supervised centre-based cardiac rehabilitation revealed no significant differences in exercise capacity, systolic blood pressure and total cholesterol. CONCLUSIONS: Current evidence does not show home-based cardiac rehabilitation to be significantly inferior to centre-based rehabilitation for low-risk cardiac patients. However, the numbers of patients included are less than 750 and ongoing trials will contribute to the debate on the acceptability, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of home-based cardiac rehabilitation.     

Effects of exercise and cardiac rehabilitation on cardiovascular outcomes

Cardiac rehabilitation was originally conceived to counteract the deconditioning and comorbidities associated with prolonged bed rest after a myocardial infarction. Contemporary cardiac rehabilitation has taken a more comprehensive approach, with a broader range of participating patients. Relevant cardiovascular outcomes of cardiac rehabilitation can be classified as primary clinical outcomes, intermediate clinical outcomes, and quality-of-life outcomes. In this article, the effects of exercise training alone and, more importantly, the value of comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation are reviewed from the point of view of individual cardiovascular outcomes.     

The effect of stress and fatigue on cardiac rhythm in medical interns.

Twenty-four-hour ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring was used to determine the incidence of arrhythmia while on-call and its relationship to stress and fatigue in 20 healthy medical interns. Mitral valve prolapse was present in 8 of 19 interns (42%). Heart rates ranged from a maximum of 103-167 beats/min (135 +/- 16) to a minimum of 38-61 beats/min (47 +/- 5). Interns had at least one episode of sinus tachycardia/h during 57% +/- 21% (range, 8-88%) of their hours on-call. Atrial premature beats (APB) were present in 19 of 20 (95%) and ventricular premature beats (VPB) in 12 of 20 (60%) subjects. APB/h ranged from 0 to 1.2 (0.4 +/- 0.3) and VPB/h from 0 to 23 (2 +/- 6). Three interns had multiform VPB and two had ventricular couplets. More APB/h occurred in interns under greater stress (0.5 +/- 0.4/h vs 0.3 +/- 0.1/h, p < 0.05) and combined stress and fatigue (0.6 +/- 0.4/h vs 0.2 +/- 0.2/h, p < 0.01). More VPB/h (5 +/- 9/h vs 0.5 +/- 0.6/h, p < 0.05) and higher (Lown) grade ventricular ectopy (2.3 +/- 1.6 vs 0.8 +/- 1.1; p < 0.05) occurred in interns under greater combined stress and fatigue. Mitral valve prolapse, sleep deprivation and caffeine intake were not associated with increased arrhythmia. The authors conclude that (1) rapid sinus tachycardia is frequent in interns while on-call and (2) interns experiencing greater stress and fatigue have more APB/h, VPB/h, and higher grade ventricular ectopy. These data support the notion that stress and fatigue may contribute to arrhythmia in healthy normal subjects.     

Arthritis self-management education programs: a meta-analysis of the effect on pain and disability

OBJECTIVE: Some reports suggest that education programs help arthritis patients better manage their symptoms and improve function. This review of the published literature was undertaken to assess the effect of such programs on pain and disability. METHODS: Medline and HealthSTAR were searched for the period 1964-1998. The references of each article were then hand-searched for further publications. Studies were included in the meta-analysis if the intervention contained a self-management education component, a concurrent control group was included, and pain and/or disability were assessed as end points. Two authors reviewed each study. The methodologic attributes and efficacy of the interventions were assessed using a standardized abstraction tool, and the magnitude of the results was converted to a common measure, the effect size. Summary effect sizes were calculated separately for pain and disability. RESULTS: The search strategy yielded 35 studies, of which 17 met inclusion criteria. The mean age of study participants was 61 years, and 69% were female. On average, 19% of patients did not complete followup (range 0-53%). The summary effect size was 0.12 for pain (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.00, 0.24) and 0.07 for disability (95% CI 0.00, 0.15). Funnel plots indicated no significant evidence of bias toward the publication of studies with findings that showed reductions in pain or disability. CONCLUSION: The summary effect sizes suggest that arthritis self-management education programs result in small reductions in pain and disability.     

The effect of a coordinator on cardiac rehabilitation in a district general hospital

The purpose of this study was to compare the recorded evidence for cardiac rehabilitation (CR) before and after the appointment of a CR coordinator in a large district general hospital in the north of England. An audit proforma was used to collect data recorded in the case notes of 200 patients admitted to hospital during this period with the diagnosis of first myocardial infarction. Recorded CR activity was significantly higher (P<0.001) following the appointment of a CR coordinator, and when the patient was under the care of a cardiologist rather than a general physician (P<0.001). The main differences in activities related to the provision of a personal rehabilitation plan, education, counselling and exercise, and referral for invasive diagnostic tests. Little difference was evident in relation to risk factor assessment, exercise assessment and psychological assessment and treatment.     

The prognostic value of normal exercise myocardial perfusion imaging and exercise echocardiography: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this work was to determine the prognostic value of normal exercise myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) tests and exercise echocardiography tests, and to determine the prognostic value of these imaging modalities in women and men. BACKGROUND: Exercise MPI and exercise echocardiography provide prognostic information that is useful in the risk stratification of patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD). METHODS: We searched the PubMed, Cochrane, and DARE databases between January 1990 and May 2005, and reviewed bibliographies of articles obtained. We included prospective cohort studies of subjects who underwent exercise MPI or exercise echocardiography for known or suspected CAD, and provided data on primary outcomes of myocardial infarction (MI) and cardiac death with at least 3 months of follow-up. Secondary outcomes (unstable angina, revascularization procedures) were abstracted if provided. Studies performed exclusively in patients with CAD were excluded. RESULTS: The negative predictive value (NPV) for MI and cardiac death was 98.8% (95% confidence interval [CI] 98.5 to 99.0) over 36 months of follow-up for MPI, and 98.4% (95% CI 97.9 to 98.9) over 33 months for echocardiography. The corresponding annualized event rates were 0.45% per year for MPI and 0.54% per year for echocardiography. In subgroup analyses, annualized event rates were <1% for each MPI isotope, and were similar for women and men. For secondary events, MPI and echocardiography had annualized event rates of 1.25% and 0.95%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Both exercise MPI and exercise echocardiography have high NPVs for primary and secondary cardiac events. The prognostic utility of both modalities is similar for both men and women.     

Mandatory criteria for cardiac rehabilitation programs: 2018 guidelines from the Portuguese Society of Cardiology

Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is a multidisciplinary process for patients recovering after an acute cardiac event or with chronic cardiovascular disease that reduces mortality and morbidity and improves quality of life. It is considered a cost-effective intervention and is expressly indicated in the guidelines of the major medical societies.In Portugal, only 8% of patients discharged from hospital after myocardial infarction are included in CR programs. In Europe overall, the percentage admitted to CR programs is 30%, while in the USA it is 20-30%.In view of the underuse of CR in Portugal, we call the attention of the health authorities to the need to increase the number and national coverage of CR programs, while maintaining high quality standards. The aim is for all patients resident in Portugal who are eligible for CR programs to have the same opportunities for access and attendance.In order to preserve the benefits and safety of this intervention, CR needs to be performed according to international guidelines. The fact that various initiatives in this field have been developed by different professional groups, some of them non-medical, that do not follow the European guidelines, has prompted us to prepare a series of norms defining mandatory criteria for CR, based on current knowledge and evidence. In this way we aim to ensure that the required increase in the number of CR programs, linked in a national network of CR centers, does not detract from the need to maintain their efficacy and quality. These criteria should serve as the basis for the future accreditation of CR centers in Portugal.     

Effects of a 12-week cardiac rehabilitation exercise program on motivation and health-promoting lifestyle

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a 12-week cardiac rehabilitation exercise program on the motivation and lifestyle of persons recovering from a recent heart attack or cardiac-related procedures. DESIGN: The study design was a pretest and posttest quasi-experimental, nonrandom assignment. SETTING: The study was conducted at 4 cardiac rehabilitation centers in Northeast Ohio. SUBJECTS: The study included 57 participants in a cardiac rehabilitation exercise program (mean age = 64 years) and 57 comparisons (mean age = 64.6 years) who recently had a heart attack or underwent cardiac-related procedures.Outcome Measure: Motivation and health-promoting lifestyle were measured. INTERVENTION: A 12-week cardiac rehabilitation exercise program for small groups of participants (fewer than 12 persons) was conducted. The program provided arm and leg exercises 3 times a week for 30 to 60 minutes per session at an intensity of 60% to 90% of the maximum heart rate. RESULTS: Analysis of covariance was used to analyze the data. After controlling for education, income, and pretest scores, the exercise group scored significantly higher than the comparison group in most motivation-related variables. Regarding lifestyle, after adjusting for the control variables both groups showed positive changes during the 12-week period, but no significant difference was found between the 2 groups in overall lifestyle. CONCLUSION: The findings of the study confirmed that motivational variables were modifiable. Thus, when developing health promotion programs for initiating and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, the relative importance of different motivational variables should be considered.