Key result
Cardiac rehabilitation has evolved into a comprehensive secondary prevention program that reduces cardiovascular mortality and hospital admissions, though utilization rates remain suboptimal.
Cardiac rehabilitation is a safe and effective comprehensive secondary prevention strategy that improves cardiovascular outcomes and quality of life, though its utilization remains suboptimal globally.
Supports expanded cardiac rehabilitation use; leaves open effective strategies to improve suboptimal global utilization.
Historically, the main objective of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) as an exercise-based programme was to restore or improve patients’ regular physical activity after a cardiac event. Since then CR has evolved into a comprehensive secondary prevention programme, the objectives of CR, and indications and contraindications for its use have also developed in sophistication. Current CR programmes are designed to stabilise or even reverse the progression of heart disease by controlling all modifiable risk factors. They are also concerned with improving patients’ quality of life by restoring their wellbeing. All this should be achieved with the maximum safety levels to patients. The first part of this review details on how CR evolved from a simple exercise programme to a comprehensive secondary prevention programme in the past few decades. The second part sets an example of modern CR provision, pathway and guidelines in a top leading country in this field, the UK.
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Quait et al. (2017) conducted a review in Coronary artery disease. Cardiac rehabilitation vs. Usual care was evaluated. Cardiac rehabilitation has evolved into a comprehensive secondary prevention program that reduces cardiovascular mortality and hospital admissions, though utilization rates remain suboptimal.
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