OBJECTIVE To assess the effect of outpatient cardiac rehabilitation in important patient subgroups. DESIGN Prospective cohort study. SUBJECTS Consecutive patients from March 1999 until July 2003. METHODS This study assessed the results of symptom-limited bicycle stress testing and health-related quality of life (Profil der Lebensqualität Chronisch Kranker) at baseline and after a 3-month ...

Dear Editor, Atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases are the major cause of death in middle-aged and older-adults. 1,2 Today, inflammation is regarded as the key patho-genic mechanism in both initiation and progression of atherosclerosis. 3 Inflammatory markers such as high sensitive C-reactive protein (CRP) have been used to identify patients at higher risk for coronary events. The prognostic ...

BACKGROUND The 6-minute walk test (6MWT) is a common outcome measurement in cardiac rehabilitation. However, a search of the literature found no established guidelines for use of the 6MWT in cardiac rehabilitation. OBJECTIVES Systematic review of the validity, reliability and responsiveness of the 6MWT in cardiac rehabilitation. DATA SOURCES OvidMEDLINE, SPORTdiscus, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochran...

OBJECTIVES To identify barriers to participation in a phase II cardiac rehabilitation programme and measures that may enhance participation. DESIGN Prospective study. SETTING Regional hospital, Hong Kong. PATIENTS Cardiac patients recruited for a phase I cardiac rehabilitation programme from July 2002 to January 2003. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Reasons for not participating in a phase II car...

Cardiac rehabilitation is a comprehensive multidisciplinary program individually tailored to the needs of patients with cardiovascular disease. The overall goals focus on improving daily function and reducing cardiovascular risk factors. Cardiac rehabilitation includes interventions aimed at lowering blood pressure and improving lipid and diabetes mellitus control, with tobacco cessation, behav...

OBJECTIVES Cardiac rehabilitation is underused and its quality in practice is unclear. A quality indicator is a measurable element of clinical practice performance. This study aimed to propose a set of quality indicators for cardiac rehabilitation following an acute coronary event in the Japanese population and conduct a small-size practice test to confirm feasibility and applicability of the i...

1 Department of Translational Medical Sciences, Cardiac Rehabilitation Unit, University of Naples “Federico II,” Via S. Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy 2Department of Critical Care Medicine and Surgery, Cardiac Rehabilitation Unit, University of Florence and Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Careggi, Via delle Oblate 4, 50141 Florence, Italy 3Division of Cardiac Rehabilitation, Fondazione Europe...

AIMS Systematic data are sparse on clinical outcome after acute coronary disease followed by cardiac rehabilitation therapy. Therefore, our objective was to determine the long-term development of cardiac risk factors, recurrent clinical events, and cardiac medication in patients undergoing routine in hospital cardiac rehabilitation therapy. METHODS AND RESULTS In the prospective PIN Study (Po...

M e t h o d s Data sources: Previously published systematic reviews and meta-analyses; MEDLINE, EMBASE/Excerpta Medica, CINAHL, and SciSearch (to March 2003); the Cochrane Library; specialized rehabilitation databases; health technology assessment Web sites; clinical trial registries; bibliographies of selected articles; and contact with experts and agencies. Study selection and assessment: Ran...