Impact of exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation on de novo coronary lesion in patients with drug eluting stent.

Abstract

ObjectiveTo compare the rate of progression of de novo lesion between the cardiac rehabilitation (CR) and control groups.MethodsThis is a retrospective observational study. Patients who received drug-eluting stent (DES) due to acute coronary syndrome were included as subjects. The CR group received eight weeks of early CR program, and sustained a self-exercise program in the homes. The control group was instructed to exercise independently. Nine months after the first insertion of DES, we implemented follow-up coronary angiography, and compared the rate of progression of de novo lesion by quantitative angiographic measurement between the two groups.ResultsA total of 81 patients were recruited as subjects to CR group (n=32) or control group (n=49). At nine months, late luminal loss was 0.04±0.23 mm in the CR group and 0.00±0.31 mm in the control group (p=0.54, observed power=0.10). Late loss was -0.90%±9.53% in the CR group and 0.80%±11.15% in the control group (p=0.58, observed power=0.05). No target lesion revascularization procedures were needed in the CR group, while two in the control group (p=0.25). In the CR group, mean VO2max was significantly improved from 24.36±5.00 to 27.68±5.24 mL/kg/min (p<0.001).ConclusionWe could not observe a statistically significant difference in the progression rate of de novo lesion between the CR and control groups. Thus the current amount of nine months exercise-based CR program does not seem to have a distinct impact on the retardation of de novo coronary lesion in patients who received percutaneous coronary intervention with DES.