Abstract
Background
Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) has been used as a primary health outcome in cardiac rehabilitation programs (CRP).
Aims
This study aimed to evaluate the effects of an 8-week CRP on HRQOL and exercise capacity in myocardial infarction (MI) patients in Korea.
Methods
After matching on gender, age, and left ventricular ejection fraction, 60 subjects with a first acute MI were allocated to either a CRP group (n =31) or a Control group (n =29). The 8-week CRP included hospital-based, supervised exercise training (three times per week, average intensity of 65% VO2peak) and individual education sessions. The Control group was instructed on a home-based exercise regimen without contact during the 8 weeks. At baseline and 8 weeks, HRQOL was assessed by the Quality of Life Index (QLI)–cardiac version III; exercise capacity by a treadmill test.
Results
After adjusting for education level, the overall QLI, health/functioning and psycho/spiritual scores showed greater increases in the CRP group than the Control group (p=.014, p=.016, and p=.036, respectively). We observed significant improvements in VO2peak (p<.0001), anaerobic threshold (p<.0001), and maximal exercise duration (p<.0001) in the CRP group, compared to the Control group.
Conclusions
These findings suggest that the Korean CRP can lead to significant improvements in HRQOL outcomes and exercise capacity.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.