The role of cardiac rehabilitation in patients with heart disease

Abstract

Cardiac rehabilitation is a valuable treatment for patients with a broad spectrum of cardiac disease. Current guidelines support its use in patients after acute coronary syndrome, coronary artery bypass grafting, coronary stent placement, valve surgery, and stable chronic systolic heart failure. Its use in these conditions is supported by a robust body of research demonstrating improved clinical outcomes. Despite this evidence, cardiac rehabilitation referral and attendance remains low and interventions to increase its use need to be developed.

Keywords: Cardiac rehabilitation; Cardiovascular disease.

Conflict of interest statement

Paul D. Thompson, MD: no relevant conflicts.

Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Figures

Fig. 1

Effect of cardiac rehabilitation on mortality after percutaneous intervention. (Kaplan-Meier curve showing the association between cardiac rehabilitation (dark line) and all-cause mortality in patients after elective (26%), urgent (42%), or emergent (32%) percutaneous coronary intervention. Reproduced from [22].)

Fig. 2

Exercise training and survival/survival or free from hospital admission in patients with chronic heart failure. (Kaplan-Meier curves demonstrating the relationship between exercise training and survival (top) and survival or free from hospital admission. Reproduced from [34].)

Fig. 3

Time to All-Cause Mortality or All-Cause Hospitalization in heart failure patients. (All-cause mortality or all-cause hospitalization after adjustment for key prognostic factors. From the HF-ACTION Randomized Controlled Trial. Reproduced from [35].)