Cardiac rehabilitation exercise program: outcome assessment
Hertanu, J.S.; Davis, L.; Focseneanu, M.; Lahman, L.
Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 67(7): 431-435
1986
ISSN/ISBN: 0003-9993 PMID: 2873805 Document Number: 277468
Medically supervised exercise programs have increasingly gained acceptance in management of the coronary patient. Beneficial postexercise results published include: Improved exercise and work tolerance, a decrease in frequency and severity of angina, and earlier return to work. The present retrospective study evaluates the outcome of a three-month cardiac rehabilitation exercise program with changes in exercise performance, compliance with post-discharge exercise routine, and return to work pattern. The study group included 38 patients with documented coronary artery disease and two participants free of ischemic heart disease. Thirty patients were treated with beta blocker medications, ten were not. Time of follow-up ranged from six months to two years. Pre- and postexercise performance expressed in .ovrhdot.VO2 ml/kg per min was assessed at target heart rate using a modified exercise protocol. Training resulted in statistically significant increases in median exercise performance in both patient groups: 2.38 ml O2/kg per min (range 1.33, 7.18; p 0.0068, one-tail) in the untreated group, and 3.45 ml O2/kg per min (range 2.63, 11.48; p 0.001, one-tail) in the beta blocker treated group. Fifty-seven percent of the participants complied with a postdischarge exercise routine while 7/12 (58%) patients unemployed at time of referral resumed work during or following completion of the exercise program. Such programs appear to be a valuable component in the management of the coronary patient. Further studies involving larger numbers of patients are indicated to document cost effectiveness of such programs.