A clinical study of a cardiac rehabilitation program (phase II)

Little has been published concerning the practice of cardiac rehabilitation in Puerto Rico. The purpose of this paper was to study and analyze the clinical data collected at the Cardiac Rehabilitation Program Phase II, in order to determine how adequate has been this program in its population. It was intended in this clinical study to determine the characteristics that describe the cardiac population which enters a cardiac rehabilitation program in Puerto Rico. Also, it was the purpose of this study to compare the initial and final evaluation of the patients that completed the program. Seventy-one patients were evaluated and 17 of them finished the whole program. The general population had a low level of daily physical activity, vital capacity, low back and hamstring flexibility, and a high percent of body fat. The group that completed the program showed significant increase in low back and hamstring flexibility, vital capacity and estimated daily energy expenditure. Low density lipoprotein and estimated daily resting energy expenditure significantly decreased; the patients were more active and resting less at the end of the program. This data suggest that the patients evaluated present various risk factors of coronary disease that might predispose to a second cardiac or surgical event, or progression of the disease. Also, these results suggest that this program might help in improving the risk factors related to health related fitness and physical inactivity.