Intensive Cardiac Rehabilitation Outcomes in Patients with Heart Failure
S Hammad Jafri1,2,3,4, Maya Guglin2, Roopa Rao2
1Division of Cardiology, University of Louisville, 201 Abraham Flexner Way, Louisville, KY 40202, USA.
Insights
Intensive cardiac rehabilitation (ICR) shows promising results for heart failure (HF) patients, achieving similar functional and psychosocial outcomes despite lower baseline status. This study highlights ICR
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Rehabilitation Medicine
- Public Health
Background:
- Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) improves outcomes for heart failure (HF) patients.
- Intensive cardiac rehabilitation (ICR) offers benefits for cardiovascular diseases.
- Specific outcomes of ICR in HF patients require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of intensive cardiac rehabilitation (ICR) in patients with heart failure (HF).
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 12,950 patients undergoing ICR across 46 centers (2016-2020).
- Comparison of HF (n=1400) and non-HF (n=11,550) groups.
- Primary endpoints: ICR completion, changes in BMI, exercise minutes/week (EMW), and depression scores (CESD).
Main Results:
- HF patients were older; non-HF group had higher ICR completion rates.
- Patients without HF showed greater BMI improvement post-ICR.
- No significant differences in fitness (EMW) or depression (CESD) between groups.
Conclusions:
- HF patients achieved comparable or superior functional and psychosocial outcomes post-ICR.
- ICR is effective for HF patients, despite initial lower functional status.
- Further research may explore tailored ICR protocols for HF populations.
Introduction:
Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) has proven to be beneficial for patients with heart failure (HF), potentially reducing morbidity and mortality while improving fitness and psychological outcomes. Intensive cardiac rehabilitation (ICR) represents an emerging form of CR that has demonstrated advantages for patients with various cardiovascular diseases. Nevertheless, the specific outcomes of ICR in patients with HF remain unknown.
Objectives:
The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of ICR in patients with HF.
Methods:
This retrospective study involved 12,950 patients who participated in ICR at 46 centers from January 2016 to December 2020. Patients were categorized into two groups: the HF group, comprising 1400 patients (11%), and the non-HF group, consisting of 11,550 patients (89%). The primary endpoints included the ICR completion rate, changes in body mass index (BMI), exercise minutes per week (EMW), and depression scores (CESD). A t-test was employed to compare variables between the two groups.
Results:
The HF group comprises older patients, with 37% being females (compared to 44% in the non-HF group). The ICR completion rate was higher in the non-HF group. After ICR completion, adjusted analyses revealed that patients without HF demonstrated a greater improvement in BMI. There were no differences in fitness, as measured via EMW, or in depression scores, as measured via CESD, between the two groups.
Conclusions:
Despite the lower baseline functional status and psychosocial scores of HF patients compared to non-HF patients, patients with HF were able to attain similar or even better functional and psychosocial outcomes after ICR.
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