SPC365

Impact of Structured Cardiac Rehabilitation on Patient Outcomes: A Prospective Cohort Analysis

Session: SESSÃO DE POSTERS 02 - RESULTADOS E AVALIAÇÃO DE PROGRAMAS DE REABILITAÇÃO CARDÍACA - DA PRÁTICA CLÍNICA AOS BENEFÍCIOS PARA O DOENTE
Speaker: Bernardo Lisboa Resende

Congress: CPC 2025
Topic: J. Preventive Cardiology
Theme: 29. Rehabilitation and Sports Cardiology
Subtheme: 29.2 Cardiovascular Rehabilitation
Session Type: Cartazes
FP Number: ---
Authors: Bernardo Manuel Lisboa Resende; Rafaela Fernandes; Ana Luísa Silva; Mafalda Griné; Luísa Gomes Rocha; Tomás Carlos; Gonçalo Batista; Mariana Simões; Miguel Vicente; João Gameiro; Paulo Dinis; Lino Gonçalves

<p style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif"><strong><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Background: </span></strong><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Current guidelines provide clear recommendations regarding the benefits of structured cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs for patients with established cardiovascular disease. Despite the significant advantages associated with CR, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and ensuring medication adherence post-phase II remain key points for achieving optimal clinical outcomes.</span></span></span></p>

<p style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif"><strong><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Purpose:</span></strong><span style="font-size:11.0pt"> Evaluate the impact of CR on quality of life, exercise adherence, and medication adherence three months after transitioning to CR in the community.</span></span></span></p>

<p style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif"><strong><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Methods: </span></strong><span style="font-size:11.0pt">This single-center, prospective, observational study included consecutive patients who successfully completed a follow-up period of three months after participating in a supervised, exercise-based CR program conducted from January 2023 to October 2024. Data were collected by a multidisciplinary team, and self-reported medication adherence was cross-verified with prescription records. Continuous variables were analyzed using paired samples T-Tests or Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, as appropriate.</span></span></span></p>

<p style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="background-color:white"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif"><strong><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="color:black">Results: </span></span></strong><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="background-color:white"><span style="color:black">A total of 75 patients were enrolled, with a median age of 62 years (IQR 19.0). The majority of participants were male (52/69.3%), and the primary reason for referral was coronary artery disease (52/69.3%). Regarding medical history, 16 patients (21.3%) were classified as obese (body mass index [BMI] &ge; 30 kg/m&sup2;), while 34 patients (45.3%) were categorized as overweight (BMI 25-29.9 kg/m&sup2;). Following 3 months after the end of phase II CR, no significant differences were observed in the EuroQol 5D-5L questionnaire scores (82.1 &plusmn; 13.8 vs. 85.8 &plusmn; 13.1, </span></span></span><em><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="color:black">p-value</span></span></em><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="background-color:white"><span style="color:black"> = 0.164) or the Duke Activity Status Index (8.9, 2.3 IQR vs. 9.8, 2.3 IQR, </span></span></span><em><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="color:black">p-value</span></span></em><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="background-color:white"><span style="color:black"> = 0.193). Most patients (52/69.3%) engaged in exercise more than three times per week, and 72 patients (96.0%) adhered to their medical prescriptions without errors. Overall, exercise tolerance was favorable, with 67 patients (89.3%) reporting no difficulties during exercise, the same proportion (67/89.3%) monitored their blood pressure at least once per week.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>

<p style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif"><strong><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Conclusion: </span></strong><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="background-color:white"><span style="color:black">These findings indicate that the majority of patients after phase II CR successfully maintain their exercise habits and adhere to prescribed medications. The absence of significant changes in quality-of-life questionnaires suggests that the benefits of structured CR are sustained over time. These results highlight the importance of ongoing support in promoting healthy behaviors following cardiac rehabilitation.</span></span></span></span></span></p>