Effects of Home-based Remote Cardiac Rehabilitation on Left Ventricular Function and Fear of Exercise in Patients after Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI): A Retrospective Cohort Study

AIM: This study aims to explore the effects of home-based remote cardiac rehabilitation on left ventricular function and exercise fear in patients after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS: A total of 232 patients with coronary heart disease after PCI treated in Tianshan Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital from January 2020 to December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into the remote rehabilitation group (169 cases) and the routine group (63 cases) according to the exposure factor (home-based remote cardiac rehabilitation). Changes in left ventricular function and sports phobia Tampa Scale in patients with coronary heart disease after PCI were compared using propensity score matching to reduce selection bias and confounding factors. RESULTS: After the intervention, the scores of patients in the tele-rehabilitation group were significantly higher than those in the conventional group in terms of fear of movement, perception of danger, fear of movement, avoidance of movement, and dysfunction (p-value < 0.05). Left heart function was compared between the tele-rehabilitation group and the conventional group. Patients in the tele-rehabilitation group had significantly higher peak mitral valve blood flow in the early diastolic period (E), peak mitral valve blood flow in the late diastolic period (A), six-minute walk test (6MWT), and ratio of the peak mitral valve blood flow in the early diastolic period to the peak mitral valve blood flow in the late diastolic period (E/A) than those in the conventional group (p-value < 0.05). However, the peak deceleration time and isovolumic diastolic time in the early mitral valve diastolic period were significantly higher in the tele-rehabilitation group than in the conventional group (p-value < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Home-based remote cardiac rehabilitation instruction can improve the heart function and exercise fear state of patients after PCI.