Changes in Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of Patients Admitted to Inpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation

Stefania Costi, Roberto Tonelli, Antonio Brogneri, Fabio Florini, Nicolò Tilocca, Massimo Vicentini, Serena Baroncini, Massimo Cerulli and Enrico Clini
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Stefania Costi: Surgical, Medical and Dental Department of Morphological Sciences Related to Transplant, Oncology and Regenerative Medicine CHIMOMO, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via del Pozzo n.71, 41124 Modena, Italy
Roberto Tonelli: Clinical and Experimental Medicine PhD Program, University of Modena Reggio Emilia, Via del Pozzo n.71, 41124 Modena, Italy
Antonio Brogneri: Respiratory Rehabilitation of Ospedale Villa Pineta-KOS Group, Via Gaiato n. 127, Pavullo nel Frignano, 41026 Modena, Italy
Fabio Florini: Respiratory Rehabilitation of Ospedale Villa Pineta-KOS Group, Via Gaiato n. 127, Pavullo nel Frignano, 41026 Modena, Italy
Nicolò Tilocca: Respiratory Rehabilitation of Ospedale Villa Pineta-KOS Group, Via Gaiato n. 127, Pavullo nel Frignano, 41026 Modena, Italy
Massimo Vicentini: Epidemiology Unit, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Viale Amendola n.2, 42123 Reggio Emilia, Italy
Serena Baroncini: School of Respiratory Medicine, University of Modena Reggio Emilia, Via del Pozzo n.71, 41124 Modena, Italy
Massimo Cerulli: Respiratory Rehabilitation of Ospedale Villa Pineta-KOS Group, Via Gaiato n. 127, Pavullo nel Frignano, 41026 Modena, Italy
Enrico Clini: Respiratory Diseases Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences SMECHIMAI, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, University Hospital of Modena, Via del Pozzo n.71, 41124 Modena, Italy

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 16, 1-10

Abstract: Aims: Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) has proven to be effective and beneficial in middle-aged and older patients. However, solid data in large cohorts of elderly individuals are yet to be explored. This retrospective study investigated the general characteristics, outcomes, and the level of response of patients referred to CR over 13 consecutive years. Methods: We reviewed the medical records of patients admitted to Villa Pineta Rehabilitation Hospital for exercise-based CR from 2006 to 2018. The patients’ baseline characteristics and changes following CR in an upper-limb weightlifting test (ULW), 30-s sit-to-stand test (30STS), and the 6-min walking test (6MWT) with associated Borg-related dyspnea (D) and fatigue (F) were collected. We also calculated the number of individuals that reached the minimal clinically relevant change (MCRC) following CR for each outcome. Results: One thousand five hundred and fifty-one patients (70.2 ± 9.7 years, 66% men) with complete datasets were included in the analysis. Coronary artery bypass graft and cardiac valve replacement surgery were the most frequent surgical procedures leading to CR referral (41.1% and 35.8%, respectively). The patients’ age ( p = 0.03), number of total comorbidities ( p < 0.0001), and post-surgical complications ( p = 0.02) significantly increased over time. In contrast, the average absolute changes in ULW, 30STS, and 6MWT with associated D and F, and the proportion of patients that reached their respective MCRC, remained constant over the same period. Conclusion: The patients admitted to exercise-based CR were older and had more comorbidities and complications over time. The outcomes, however, were not influenced in terms of the absolute change or clinically meaningful response.

Keywords: cardiac rehabilitation; cardiovascular diseases; treatment outcome; comorbidity; elderly; exercise (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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