Impact of visual impairment on physical function,activities of daily living,and length of hospital stay in patients with Phase I cardiac rehabilitation: A cohort study

The number of patients with visual impairment (VI) is increasing rapidly around the world, and its negative effects are becoming a problem. There is a strong relationship between VI and cardiovascular disease, and patients with cardiovascular disease have a higher prevalence of VI. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of VI on physical function, activities of daily living, and length of hospital stay in Phase I cardiac rehabilitation (CR) patients. This prospective multicenter cohort study included patients who underwent Phase 1 CR from October 2020 to March 2023 at four affiliated Regional Medical Care Support Hospitals in Japan. VI was assessed by a self-reported questionnaire. Linear mixed model analysis was performed to evaluate the association between VI and walking speed, short physical performance battery (SPPB), functional independence measure (FIM), and length of hospital stay, respectively. Of the 3608 patients with a hospital stay of at least 5 days and who underwent Phase 1 CR, 565 were included in this study. VI was reported by 23.9%. The VI group had slower walking speed (0.89 vs. 1.01 m/s, p < .001), lower SPPB (11.0 vs. 12.0 points, p < .001), and lower FIM (122.0 vs. 125.0 points, p < .001) than the non-VI group. There was no significant difference in length of hospital stay between the two groups. Multivariate linear regression analysis adjusted for confounding factors showed that VI was significantly associated with walking speed (p = .030) and length of hospital stay (p = .017), whereas VI was not associated with SPPB and FIM. This study revealed Phase 1 CR patients with VI decreased walking speed, which corresponds to sarcopenia. Furthermore, VI was independently associated with walking speed and length of hospital stay in Phase 1 CR patients.