Cardiac Rehabilitation and Exercise Training in the Elderly

• Published in: Current geriatrics reports 2017-12, Vol.6 (4), p.264-272
• Main Authors: Kachur, Sergey, Rahim, Faisal, Lavie, Carl J., Morledge, Michael, Cash, Michael, Dinshaw, Homeyar, Milani, Rich
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age; Blood pressure; Cardiovascular disease; Cardiovascular Disease in the Elderly (M Chen; Cholesterol; Exercise; Fitness training programs; Geriatrics/Gerontology; Heart attacks; Heart failure; Heart rate; Hypertension; Insulin-like growth factors; Medicare; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metabolism; Mortality; Neurology; Older people; Pain Medicine; Physical fitness; Physiology; Population; Psychopharmacology; Rheumatology; Sarcopenia; Section Editor; Topical Collection on Cardiovascular Disease in the Elderly
• ISSN: 2196-7865; 2196-7865
• DOI: 10.1007/s13670-017-0224-y

Purpose of Review With recent improvements in cardiovascular care and prevention, the demographic of individuals enrolled into cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is shifting towards an older set of individuals. Management plans for elderly cardiovascular patients must consider processes associated with aging, sarcopenia, cognitive impairment, and inflammation all contributing to declining functional capacity. Recent Findings Increased debility at baseline does not translate into a significantly higher risk associated with physical activity but does require better access. High-intensity interval training protocols have shown benefits while preserving safety over the standard of moderate-intensity continuous training. Summary In elderly populations, CR needs to include more than just exercise; addressing psychosocial stress burdens as an independent part of CR has the potential to improve adherence and outcomes. Doing this through new programs and at home and through mobile devices has the potential to greatly increase adherence and access, and can help remedy current underutilization of CR in the US medical system.