Cardiac Rehabilitation in Patients with Chronic Coronary Syndromes: Does Obesity Affect Outcomes?

Background: Obesity is highly prevalent among patients with chronic coronary syndrome (CCS) and is associated with impaired functional capacity and increased cardiovascular risk. Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is a key intervention shown to improve exercise capacity and outcomes in this population. Objective: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of CR between obese and non-obese patients with CCS. Methods: ) groups. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPX) parameters including VO2 peak (ml/kg/min), VO2 peak (%), VO2 peak (L/min), and VO2 at anaerobic threshold (AT) (%) were assessed before and after the CR program. Results: The records of 92 obese and 124 non-obese patients were analyzed. At baseline, the obese patients had significantly lower VO2 peak values (p = 0.003). However, post-rehabilitation, both groups demonstrated significant improvements in CPX parameters, with the obese patients demonstrating greater percentage gains in VO2 peak (%) (p < 0.001) and VO2 at AT (p < 0.001). CR adherence did not differ significantly between groups. Conclusions: Despite lower baseline functional capacity, the obese patients had substantial improvements in exercise capacity post-CR, comparable to or exceeding those of non-obese individuals. These findings highlight the importance of CR in managing obesity-related cardiovascular risks and emphasize the need to promote CR participation among obese patients.