Effects of Cardiac Rehabilitation on Patients Undergoing Heart Valve Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Objective: This study assessed the effects of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) on patients undergoing heart valve surgery by collecting literature for meta-analysis. Methods: PubMed, ScienceDirect, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, and Web of Science databases were systematically searched from the time of construction to December 2023. Primary outcomes were improvements in the 6 min walking distance (6-MWD) and Barthel index (BI) after CR. Secondary outcomes included short form (SF)-12/36 scale, depression, anxiety, and Morse Fall Scale (MFS) scores. All statistical analyses were performed by using standard statistical procedures provided in Review Manager 5.2 (The Nordic Cochrane Centre, Copenhagen, Denmark). Results: A total of 14 studies involving 1687 subjects were included. Pooled data showed that CR care significantly improved 6-MWD (mean difference (MD) = 47.60, 95% confidence interval (CI): [33.70, 61.50], p < 0.00001) and BI (MD = 10.88, 95% CI: [7.72, 14.05], p < 0.00001). In addition, patients showed no difference in mental component scores (MD = 1.27, 95% CI: [–0.10, 2.64], p = 0.07) and significant difference in physical component scores (MD = 1.65, 95% CI: [0.24, 3.06], p = 0.02) at CR discharge compared with those at admission. Similar results were observed for depression (MD = –0.13, 95% CI: [–0.60, 0.34], p = 0.59) and anxiety scores (MD = –0.44, 95% CI: [–0.88, –0.01], p = 0.04). Results also showed that CR significantly improved the MFS score of patients (MD = –5.82, 95% CI: [–9.38, –2.27], p = 0.001). Conclusion: Our analysis suggested that CR contributes to enhancing exercise tolerance and self-care and improving psychological status in patients undergoing heart valve surgery.