Comparison of the effect of 12- and 24-session cardiac rehabilitation on physical, psychosocial and biomedical factors in ischemic heart disease patients

Background Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is a key component of effective care for patients with a wide spectrum of cardiac problems. It seems that the short-term provision of these services can facilitate their use and meeting of related needs for patients participating in the CR programs. Materials and methods In this interventional study on patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD) referred to the Cardiac Rehabilitation Center of Chamran Hospital, Isfahan, Iran. One-hundred and twelve patients were randomly divided into two groups of 12 and 24 sessions of CR [mean age: 59.2 ± (9.02) and 60.7 ± (9.3) years, respectively] and underwent a CR program. All information was collected in two stages, before the beginning of the program and after completion of 12- and 24-session rehabilitation programs. The data collection tools were demographics questionnaire, the International Physical Activity Questionnaires (IPAQ), McNew Quality of Life Questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS). Results The results of this study showed that in both groups, total physical activity (PA) and functional capacity increased, and the quality of life (QOL) was statistically improved. Comparison of changes in mean differences at the end of the rehabilitation periods between the two groups, showed that only the weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in the 24-session group significantly decreased compared to the 12-session group and, but no significant difference in other variables was observed. Conclusion Overall, the findings of this study support the overall benefits of the CR program in both the short and the long term. Therefore it can be suggested that a short-term program can still be a valuable option for reducing the risk in cardiac patients and meeting their service needs.