Key result
Early post-PCI cardiac rehab increases LVEF by ~3% and improves exercise capacity versus usual care.
Why the study?
The effects of exercise-based early cardiac rehabilitation initiated within 24 hours after AMI and PCI on cardiac function and functional capacity were evaluated.
Does exercise-based early cardiac rehabilitation initiated within 24 hours post-PCI improve cardiac function and functional capacity at 12 weeks in clinically stable AMI patients?
RCT (n=24)
1:1
No
Does exercise-based early cardiac rehabilitation initiated within 24 hours post-PCI improve cardiac function and functional capacity at 12 weeks in clinically stable AMI patients?
Initiation of exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation within 24 hours of PCI for AMI is feasible and significantly improves cardiac function and exercise capacity at 12 weeks.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Supports early exercise-based rehabilitation within 24 h post-PCI in stable AMI; extends evidence on LVEF and capacity gains from small RCT.
Objective To evaluate the effects of exercise-based early cardiac rehabilitation (EB-ECR) initiated within 24 h after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on cardiac function and functional capacity at 12 weeks. Design Single-center, parallel-group randomized pilot trial. Setting: a tertiary hospital with dedicated cardiac rehabilitation services. Participants: clinically stable AMI patients within 24 h of successful PCI. Interventions: participants were randomized 1:1 to EB-ECR, consisting of an individualized, phased rehabilitation program initiated in-hospital and continued postdischarge, or usual care without structured cardiac rehabilitation (NO-CR). Main outcome measures Primary endpoints included left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), peak oxygen uptake (VO2 peak), 6‑minute walk distance (6 MWT) and B‑type natriuretic peptide (BNP) at 12 weeks. Results In this study 24 participants were randomized (EB-ECR n = 12; NO-CR n = 12). Compared to NO-CR, baseline-adjusted analyses favored EB-ECR: LVEF was higher by 2.8% (95% confidence interval, CI 0.9–4.8%; p = 0.007), VO2 peak by 2.7 mL·kg−1·min−1 (95% CI 1.5–4.0 mL·kg−1·min−1; p < 0.001), 6 MWT by 24.0 m (95% CI 5.6–42.3m; p = 0.013) and BNP was lower by 18.3% (geometric mean ratio [GMR] 0.82; 95% CI −25.7% to −10.1%; p < 0.001). No serious adverse events occurred; one MACE event occurred in the EB-ECR group and none in the NO-CR group. Conclusion Initiation of EB-ECR within 24 h post-PCI was associated with higher LVEF, greater exercise capacity, and lower BNP at 12 weeks without an observed excess of short-term major adverse cardiovascular events. These findings support the feasibility and potential efficacy of early structured rehabilitation after AMI and PCI.
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Cen et al. (2026) conducted an RCT in Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (n=24). Exercise-based early cardiac rehabilitation (EB-ECR) vs. Usual care without structured cardiac rehabilitation (NO-CR) was evaluated on Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), peak oxygen uptake (VO2 peak), 6-minute walk distance (6 MWT) and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) at 12 weeks (MD 2.8%, 95% CI 0.9-4.8, p=0.007). Exercise-based early cardiac rehabilitation initiated within 24 hours post-PCI increased LVEF by 2.8% and improved exercise capacity at 12 weeks compared to usual care.
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