Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation after surgery improved 6MWD across all ages, with age significantly predicting smaller gains (β = -0.78, p = .004) but benefits still above minimal important diff
Does in-patient exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation improve 6-minute walk distance across different age groups in patients post cardiac event?
In-patient cardiac rehabilitation significantly improves 6-minute walk distance across all age groups, although the magnitude of improvement slightly decreases with advancing age.
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Abstract Introduction The global population is undergoing a significant demographic shift, with the number of individuals ≥65 years is expected to double in the next 25 years. Aging is a major non-modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), and as the population grows older, the incidence of cardiovascular events is expected to rise. Following cardiac surgery, older adults often experience impairments in performing activities of daily living (ADLs), which can lead to prolonged hospital stays, increased dependence on long-term care, and rising healthcare costs. Conversely, higher ADL frequency is associated with improved clinical outcomes in older patients with CVD, emphasizing the need for targeted rehabilitation strategies. Aerobic endurance (six-minute walk distance, 6MWD) is a key predictor of mortality and long-term independent living, underscoring its crucial role in post-surgical recovery. Given the aging population, preventing a decline of aerobic endurance in older patients undergoing cardiac surgery is of paramount importance for independent living. Aim To compare changes in 6MWD across different age groups in patients participating in a cardiac rehabilitation in the early period post event. Materials & Methods This retrospective single-center cohort study analyzed data from patients who underwent in-patient, exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation between December 2022 and June 2024. Aerobic endurance was assessed using 6MWD at both admission and discharge. Descriptive analyses were performed for age group comparisons. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to assess the association between change in 6MWD and age. We performed linear regression to examine the relationship between change in 6MWD and the predictors age and sex. Results A total of 865 patients were included in this analysis (22.2% female) with a median rehabilitation stay of 20 days (quartiles: 20-27 days). A positive 6MWD change was displayed across both sexes and all age groups, including older adults. Descriptive data is depicted in Figure 1. The 6MWD change between admission and discharge showed a weak negative correlation with age (Pearson’s r = -0.11, p = .003) (Fig. 2). Linear regression analysis showed that age was a significant predictor for 6MWD change (β = -0.78, 95% CI: -1.31, -0.25, p = .004). Sex was not a significant predictor for 6MWD change (β = -4.04, 95% CI: -18.52, 10.44, p = .584). Conclusion Across all age groups and both sexes in early access cardiac rehabilitation presenters increase in 6MWD was observed. This improvement suggests that exercise-based rehabilitation shortly after cardiac surgery might be beneficial for patients as the improvement exceeded more than twice the Minimal Important Difference as reported for different cardiovascular diseases. Figure 2.Relationship Age and 6MWD
Petrasch et al. (Sat,) reported a other. Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation after surgery improved 6MWD across all ages, with age significantly predicting smaller gains (β = -0.78, p = .004) but benefits still above minimal important diff.