Cardiac telerehabilitation: current situation and future challenges

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Digital Health
• Preventive Medicine

Background:

• Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a major global cause of mortality.
• Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs improve outcomes but have low attendance rates, particularly in underserved regions.
• Limited access necessitates innovative secondary prevention models, such as telemedicine.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the potential of telemedicine for secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease.
• To assess the feasibility and effectiveness of cardiac telerehabilitation models.
• To improve access and adherence to CR programs for diverse patient populations.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing health applications for lifestyle monitoring, education, and psychological support.
• Investigating telemedicine for cardiovascular risk factor management.
• Reviewing existing telemedical studies on exercise training and lifestyle counseling.

Main Results:

• Telemedicine, including health apps, can aid in lifestyle improvement and risk factor reduction.
• Existing telemedical studies show promise, particularly for home-based exercise and internet counseling.
• Early reports on telerehabilitation for heart failure patients are encouraging.

Conclusions:

• Cardiac telerehabilitation is a promising tool to extend CR reach to geographically isolated or mobility-impaired patients.
• It has the potential to enhance long-term adherence to healthy lifestyles post-CR.
• Large-scale prospective randomized trials are essential to validate cardiac telerehabilitation's efficacy against standard CR programs.