Form Of Cardiac Rehabilitation Research Articles

Feasibility of hybrid telerehabilitation as a component of the Managed Care after Acute Myocardial Infarction (MC-AMI) program in a 12-month follow-up: experience from a single center.

Managed Care after Myocardial Infarction (MC‑AMI [KOS-Zawał]), a comprehensive care program dedicated to patients after myocardial infarction, was implemented in Poland in 2017. Hybrid cardiac telerehabilitation (HTR) is a unique component of MC‑AMI. We evaluated the feasibility of HTR as a component of MC‑AMI and assessed its safety and acceptance by patients. One‑year all‑cause mortality among the patients participating and not participating in MC‑AMI was analyzed. The MC‑AMI group included 114 patients who underwent a 5‑week HTR program comprising telemonitored Nordic walking training sessions, and who completed the entire 12‑month MC‑AMI program. The influence of HTR on the physical capacity was assessed by comparing the stress test results before and after HTR. After HTR, the patients completed a satisfaction survey to assess their acceptance of the program. The non-MC‑AMI group was formed using propensity score matching to compare 1‑year all‑cause mortality between the patients participating and not participating in MC-AMI. HTR significantly improved the functional capacity assessed in the stress test and was well‑received by the patients. In the study group, nonfatal non-ST‑segment elevation myocardial infarction, elective coronary percutaneous intervention, and cardiovascular hospitalization occurred in 0.9%, 2.6% and 6.1% of the patients, respectively. There were no deaths among the MC‑AMI participants, whereas in the non-MC‑AMI group, 1‑year all‑cause mortality was 3.5%. The log‑rank test comparing the survival probabilities of matched groups, estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method, showed heterogeneity of the curves (P = 0.04). HTR as a component of MC‑AMI was a feasible, safe, and well‑accepted form of cardiac rehabilitation. Participation in MC‑AMI including HTR was associated with a significantly lower risk of 1‑year all‑cause mortality, as compared with not taking part in the rehabilitation program.

Acute aerobic exercise increases exogenously infused bone marrow cell retention in the heart.

Stem cell therapy for myocardial infarction (MI) has been shown to improve cardiac function and reduce infarct size. Exercise training, in the form of cardiac rehabilitation, is an essential part of patient care post-MI. Hence, we tested the effects of acute and chronic aerobic exercise on stem cell retention and cardiac remodeling post-MI. Small epicardial MI’s were induced in 12-month-old C57BL/6 mice via cryoinjury. Two weeks post-MI, vehicle infusion (N = 4) or GFP+ bone marrow-derived cells (BMC) were injected (tail vein I.V.) immediately after acute exercise (N = 14) or sedentary conditions (N = 14). A subset of mice continued a 5-week intervention of chronic treadmill exercise (10–13 m/min; 45 min/day; 4 days/week; N = 7) or remained sedentary (N = 6). Exercise tolerance was assessed using a graded exercise test, and cardiac function was assessed with echocardiography. Acute exercise increased GFP+ BMC retention in the infarcted zone of the heart by 30% versus sedentary (P < 0.05). This was not associated with alterations in myocardial function or gene expression of key cell adhesion molecules. Animals treated with chronic exercise increased exercise capacity (P < 0.05) and cardiac mass (P < 0.05) without change in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), infarct size, or regional wall thickness (P = NS) compared with sedentary. While BMC’s alone did not affect exercise capacity, they increased LVEF (P < 0.05) and Ki67+ nuclei number in the border zone of the heart (P < 0.05), which was potentiated with chronic exercise training (P < 0.05). We conclude that acute exercise increases BMC retention in infarcted hearts and chronic training increases exogenous BMC-mediated effects on stimulating the cardiomyocyte cell cycle. These preclinical results suggest that exercise may help to optimize stem cell therapeutics following MI.