Effects of early cardiac exercise rehabilitation on the recovery of cardiac function in patients following open heart surgery

Introduction This study aims to investigate the short-term effect of early cardiac exercise rehabilitation on the recovery of cardiac function in patients who have undergone open heart surgery. Methods A total of 120 patients who performed open heart surgery from January 2019 to December 2021 were divided into an experimental group ( n = 60) and a control group ( n = 60). The control group received standard nursing by nurses while the experimental group participated in early cardiac exercise rehabilitation training. The postoperative cardiac function (at discharge and 3 months after operation), gastrointestinal peristalsis recovery, infection rate, readmission rate, and patient satisfaction of both groups were assessed. Results The experimental group demonstrated lower infection rate, reduced readmission rate, higher patient satisfaction, and better postoperative cardiac function at 3 months after operation than the control group ( P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the postoperative cardiac function at discharge and the recovery time of gastrointestinal peristalsis between two groups ( p > 0.05). Discussion In conclusions, early cardiac exercise rehabilitation training during the perioperative period can help to improve the recovery of cardiac function in a short term for patients who have undergone open heart surgery. At the same time, early cardiac exercise rehabilitation also helped to reduce postoperative infections and readmission, and improve patient satisfaction..