Comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation as the keystone in the secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease

Abstract

Comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is a mainstay of the secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD). In the European Society of Cardiology guidelines, comprehensive cardiovascular rehabilitation has the highest class of recommendation and level of evidence as an effective method for the treatment of patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, after myocardial revascularization, with chronic coronary syndrome, for CVD prevention in clinical practice, and in patients with heart failure (HF). This document presents an expert opinion of the Cardiac Rehabilitation and Exercise Physiology Section of the Polish Cardiac Society concerning the definition, goals, target population, organization of rehabilitation services, standard clinical indications, and methods of implementation. Moreover, it describes psychosocial risk factors influencing the course of CR and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease in patients undergoing CR.Comprehensive CR is a process that should be implemented as soon as possible, continued without interruption, and should consist of multiple stages. Moreover, it should be tailored to the individual clinical situation and should be accepted by the patient and their family, friends, and caregivers.

Impact of anxiety-trait level and coping styles on a six-minute walk test in patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation

“…Thus, the fact that anxiety had no significant impact on rehabilitation results in this study leads to questions about the psychological mechanism determining effectiveness of cardiac rehabilitation. Cardiac rehabilitation aims, inter alia, to reduce emotional tension [10] and so it might reduce the significance of the 6MWT as a stress-inducing agent and of anxiety trait and coping styles. Another possible hypothesis is that the results obtained were caused by the impact of social support provided during stationary rehabilitation.…”

Application and optimization of the rate response function in dual-chamber pacemakers: Prospective, randomized, cross-over clinical trial study protocol

“…Furthermore, specific recommendations in the guidelines of the European Society of Cardiology on cardiac pacing and cardiac resynchronization therapy are limited [2,3]. Many studies rely on the electrocardiographic treadmill exercise test as an objective method of assessment of physical performance and progress in cardiac rehabilitation or for optimization of settings of implantable devices and cardiac [7,12,13]. Therefore, this study will deepen the research on the impact of the rate response function on physical performance in a homogeneous group of patients and will reveal which patients would benefit the most from rate-adapted pacing.…”

Accelerometer-measured light-intensity physical activity and the risk of cardiovascular disease or death in older adults: A meta-analysis

“…However, in terms of cardiovascular death, LPA was comparable to MVPA, either in equal time or equal amount scale. These results, taken together, indicate that emphasis on the intensity of physical activity might be not a must, at least for older adults; it rather depends on the expectation of health outcomes [35,36]. For example, high-intensity interval exercise might be superior to MVPA to improve cardiorespiratory fitness [37,38].…”