Using Cardiopulmonary Exercise Test as an Incentive to Outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation for Acute Coronary Syndrome Survivors.

Cardiopulmonary Exercise Test as an Incentive to Outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation for Acute Coronary Syndrome Survivors

Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation is a class I recommendation for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients. However, participate rate of outpatient rehabilitation is quite low and remains a global issue. The study is to propose a strategy in order to encourage post-ACS patients to participate in the outpatient cardiac rehabilitation.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Acute Coronary Syndrome
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: information reveal

Detailed Description

Background: exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation is a class I recommendation for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients. However, participate rate of outpatient rehabilitation is quite low and remains a global issue. The study is to propose a strategy in order to encourage post-ACS patients to participate in the outpatient cardiac rehabilitation.

Hypothesis: cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) incentives ACS survivors to participate in outpatient cardiac rehabilitation.

Objectives: 200 ACS survivors who are eligible for cardiac rehabilitation will be allocated randomly into control and experimental groups.

Method: before discharge, both control and experimental groups will be informed of the importance of cardiac rehabilitation and invited to participate the outpatient rehabilitation. The experimental group will also be told that an important examination, i.e. the CPET, will be performed in order to evaluate their heart function at the outpatient department (OPD).

Primary outcome: the presence of ACS survivors at the OPD of rehabilitation in order to receive the rehabilitation/CPET.

Secondary outcomes: the adherence to cardiac rehabilitation, defined as completing a full course of cardiac rehabilitation (6 sessions) or home-based exercise.

Factors that might influence the presence of ACS survivors at OPD of rehabilitation will also be recorded and analyzed, including:

• Patient characteristics: age, sex, body mass index (BMI), cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors
• Electrocardiography (ECG): ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) or non ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI)
• Lab data: peak troponin level.
• Days of hospitalization. Statistics: t-test, ANOVA

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 200
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Taiwan
  • Taiwan
    • Taichung, Taiwan, Taiwan, 407
      • Taichung Veterans General Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 20 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• acute coronary patients

Exclusion Criteria:

• acute illness that stayed in hospital for more than 2 weeks.
• patients who received surgical intervention
• severe complications (ex. respiratory failure, stroke, acute renal failure)
• contraindications of cardiopulmonary exercise testing
• patients who cannot perform the cardiopulmonary exercise testing

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: CEPT informed; the patient is informed and asked to returned to the outpatient department (OPD) in order to received cardiac rehabilitation, as well as to take an important examination (cardiopulmonary exercise testing) for his/her cardiorespiratory fitness.	Behavioral: information reveal; the experimental group will be informed that there will be an important examination about his/her cardiopulmonary fitness condition at the outpatient department (OPD)
No Intervention: CPET not informed; the patient is asked to returned to the outpatient department (OPD) in order to received cardiac rehabilitation, but not informed about the cardiopulmonary exercise testing.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
the return rate	patient that did return to the OPD for examination and cardiac rehabilitation	scheduled appointment time, about 2 to 4 weeks after discharge

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
the adherence	the percentage of patients that keep taking cardiac rehabilitation for more than one session	6 months after discharge

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Taichung Veterans General Hospital
• Investigators: Study Director: Yuchun Lee, MD, Taichung Veterans General Hospital

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 1, 2023
• Primary Completion (Estimated): April 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): July 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 29, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 29, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): June 2, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): December 29, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 20, 2025
• Last Verified: December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: cardiac rehabilitation; cardiopulmonary exercise testing
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Vascular Diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases; Heart Diseases; Myocardial Ischemia; Acute Coronary Syndrome
• Other Study ID Numbers: CE22225A

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No