Does an 8-week outpatient cardiac rehabilitation program improve exercise capacity differently in women compared to men with coronary artery disease?
A standard 8-week outpatient cardiac rehabilitation program yields significantly smaller improvements in exercise capacity for women compared to men, suggesting current regimens may be insufficient for women with CAD.
This study evaluated the clinical outcomes of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) in women with coronary artery disease (CAD) in comparison to men. Methods: Patients after acute coronary syndrome or after revascularization procedures (106 women, 180 men) were consecutively admitted to a comprehensive outpatient CR program, comprising of 45-min ergometer interval training three times a week for eight weeks. The training intensity was determined on the basis of training heart rate, calculated following an exercise test. Patients were divided into subgroups according to age (≤55, >55 years), BMI ( 50%. In women with CAD, eight weeks of 45-min interval training, with sessions three times a week, is insufficient to improve exercise capacity to an extent that is considered a predictor of mortality risk reduction.
Szmigielska et al. (Fri,) studied this question.