Effect of cardiac rehabilitation on functional outcomes after coronary revascularization

• Published in: The American heart journal 2003-03, Vol.145 (3), p.445-451
• Main Authors: Pasquali, Sara K., Alexander, Karen P., Coombs, Laura P., Lytle, Barbara L., Peterson, Eric D.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age Factors; Aged; Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary - rehabilitation; Biological and medical sciences; Coronary Artery Bypass - rehabilitation; Coronary Disease - rehabilitation; Coronary Disease - surgery; Diet; Exercise; Female; Health Behavior; Health Status; Humans; Life Style; Male; Medical sciences; Myocardial Revascularization - rehabilitation; Patient Participation; Physical Fitness; Quality of Life; Sex Factors; Smoking Cessation; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Surgery of the heart
• ISSN: 0002-8703; 1097-6744
• DOI: 10.1067/mhj.2003.172

Background Current guidelines recommending cardiac rehabilitation (CR) after coronary revascularization are largely based on early studies that evaluated only a subset of the population and failed to assess the impact of CR on a patient's perception of their functional status. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of CR in a diverse contemporary population on patient functional outcomes. Methods We studied the effect of CR on 6-month SF-36 Physical Functioning (PF) in 700 patients (mean age 67 ± 11 years, 37% women) who underwent coronary bypass grafting or percutaneous intervention from August 1998 to July 2000. Results Overall CR participation was 24%. At baseline, CR participants had higher PF (mean 62.5 vs 52.5, P < .001). After adjusting for baseline clinical variables and PF score, CR was associated with significant improvement in 6-month PF (+5.0, 95% CI 1.0-9.0). This improvement was observed in all patient subgroups, but tended to be greater in magnitude in men versus women, patients aged