Key result
Early cardiac rehab linked to ~129m 6MWD improvement after cardiac arrest, comparable to non-arrest patients.
Why the study?
Cardiac arrest survivors experience functional capacity challenges post-event, but the effectiveness of cardiac rehabilitation in this population remains understudied.
Does early cardiac rehabilitation improve aerobic endurance in post-cardiac arrest survivors comparably to cardiac patients without a history of cardiac arrest?
Cohort (n=68)
No
Does early cardiac rehabilitation improve aerobic endurance in post-cardiac arrest survivors comparably to cardiac patients without a history of cardiac arrest?
Absolute Event Rate: 554% vs 547%
p-value: p=0.886
Early cardiac rehabilitation significantly improves aerobic endurance in post-cardiac arrest survivors, yielding benefits comparable to those observed in traditional cardiac rehabilitation populations.
Supports early CR in post-CA survivors; extends observational data but hypothesis-generating pending RCTs.
Background/Introduction Cardiac arrest (CA) survivors face significant challenges related to functional capacity in the short-term period after their events. While cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is a well-established intervention for various cardiac conditions, its effectiveness in the post-CA population remains understudied. Purpose This investigation aimed to evaluate the impact of CR on aerobic endurance in CA patients who participated in an early CR program. Methods In this retrospective analysis, 34 post-CA patients who completed CR (CR-CA) at a specialized rehabilitation center between December 2022 and June 2024were propensity-matched with 34 CR cardiac patients without CA history (CR-NOCA, N=28 males) based on age, sex, and body mass index (BMI). Aerobic endurance was assessed using the six-minute walk distance test (6MWD) in accordance to American Thoracic Society guidelines at CR initiation and completion. Changes in 6MWD were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA. Results By design, matched groups demonstrated comparable baseline characteristics (CR-CA, vs. CR-NOCA): age (65.4 vs 65.6 years) and BMI (25.9 ± 4.0 vs. 25.7 ± 3.9 kg/m²). Median interval between event and CR admission was 9.5 days (quartiles 7–15 days), median length of stay in CR was 20 days (quartiles 20–27 days). A significant main effect for time (F(1,66) = 178.77, p < 0.001, η²p = 0.730) was observed, with both groups showing substantial improvements in 6MWD (CR-CA: 425 to 554m vs. CR-NOCA: 416 to 547m, Figure 1). No significant group effect (p = 0.814) or group × time interaction (p = 0.886) was found, indicating similar patterns of improvement between groups. Conclusion Post-CA patients demonstrated significant improvements in 6MWD following CR that were comparable to matched controls without CA history. These findings support the implementation of CR as a safe and effective intervention for enhancing aerobic endurance in post-CA survivors, with benefits similar to those observed in traditional CR populations.
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Riess et al. (2025) conducted a cohort in Cardiac arrest (n=68). Early cardiac rehabilitation vs. Cardiac rehabilitation in patients without cardiac arrest history was evaluated on Change in six-minute walk distance (6MWD) (p=0.886). Early cardiac rehabilitation in post-cardiac arrest patients significantly improved six-minute walk distance (425m to 554m), comparable to matched cardiac patients without CA history (interaction p=0.886).
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