The effect of cardiac rehabilitation on recovery of heart rate over one minute after exercise in patients with coronary artery bypass graft surgery.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effects of cardiac rehabilitation on the recovery of heart rate over 1 min after peak exercise of patients who received coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery.


METHODS
Thirty subjects who received CABG surgery were randomly assigned to enter or not enter a cardiac rehabilitation exercise programme (cardiac rehabilitation n = 15; control group n = 15).


METHODS
Outpatient cardiac rehabilitation centre in a national medical hospital.


METHODS
Patients assigned to the cardiac rehabilitation group received 36 sessions of the exercise programme, three times a week, with the intensity designed to achieve an individual 60-85% peak heart rate in cardiopulmonary exercise test. Patients assigned to the control group did not get further advice about a specific exercise programme.


METHODS
Resting heart rate and recovery of heart rate over 1 min after a peak exercise test at discharge and three months later were collected. The heart rates were analysed with computer-recorded electrocardiogram.


RESULTS
At follow-up, the 15 patients in the cardiac rehabilitation group had a significantly lower resting heart rate (77.46+/-9.49 versus 92.31+/-10.18 bpm; p<0.001) and a significantly higher recovery of heart rate over 1 min (16.38+/-6.32 versus 11.38+4.81 bpm; p = 0.03) compared with the control group. There were also significant reductions in resting heart rates (cardiac rehabilitation p < 0.001; control p = 0.05) and improvements in recovery on heart rate over 1 min (cardiac rehabilitation p < 0.001; control p = 0.001) compared with baseline measurements in both the cardiac rehabilitation and control groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Cardiac rehabilitation had a positive effect on the improvement of recovery on heart rate over 1 min in patients with coronary artery disease who received CABG surgery.
Tsai
Sen-Wei
SW
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung and Department of Physical Therapy, HungKuang University, Taichung County, Taiwan.
Lin
Yi-Wen
YW
Wu
Shyi-Kuen
SK
D000368:Aged; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000534:rehabilitation* / Q000601:surgery*; D005081:Exercise Therapy; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010809:Physical Fitness; D016896:Treatment Outcome