Cardiovascular Complications of Outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation Programs Utilizing Transtelephonic Exercise Monitoring

Cardiovascular complications of patients utilizing transtelephonic exercise monitoring (TEM) was determined by age, site (home of satellite), and risk stratification. The TEM complications were compared to those observed in traditional hospital outpatient cardiac rehabilitation programs. Survey data were obtained on 786 TEM patients (492 males, 294 females) who amassed a total of 23,551 patientexercise hours. Ninety three patients were considered high-risk according to American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation guidelines. The majority of participating hospitals (75%) monitored patients only from home. Twenty-nine cardiovascular complications were observed: 21 at rural (tandem) facilities and eight at home. These included angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmias, and hypoglycemia. The cardiovascular complication rate averaged one event per 812 patient exercise hours. There were no fatalities and only one patient required emergency transport. All tandem site complications occurred in those >65 years of age while 89% of all complications were observed in high-risk patients. It was concluded that high-risk patients >65 years of age who exercise at tandem medical facilities are most likely to experience cardiovascular complications during TEM. However, given the absence of fatalities, TEM appears to be safe regardless of risk stratification.