title: Long-term results of a 12-week comprehensive ambulatory cardiac rehabilitation program.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the long-term outcome of a 12-week outpatient cardiac rehabilitation (CR) program.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a prospective single-center interventional cohort study, 201 consecutive patients (133 patients after acute coronary syndrome, 32 patients after heart surgery, and 36 patients with heart failure) attending a 12-week comprehensive outpatient CR program were evaluated for exercise capacity, cardiovascular risk factors (CvRFs), and quality of life at entry, end, and 1.4 years after completion of the program (followup).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Physical exercise capacity improved significantly from program entry to program end and remained at this level at followup (P ≤ .006). CvRFs at followup were significantly reduced with regard to smoking prevalence and blood lipids (P < .001). At program end and followup, MacNew heart disease-specific emotional, physical, and social quality of life were improved significantly compared with those at program entry (P < .001). Use of cardioprotective medication remained equally high over the entire study period. However, significantly fewer patients reached blood pressure (<140/90 mm Hg, P = .034) and body mass index (<30 kg/m, P = .017) goals at followup than at program end.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The 12-week comprehensive outpatient CR program was successful at reducing important CvRFs long-term.
authors: Hospital Interlaken, Unterseen, Switzerland.
authors: Manuel R
authors: MR
authors: Blum
authors: Jean-Paul
authors: JP
authors: Schmid
authors: Prisca
authors: P
authors: Eser
authors: Hugo
authors: H
authors: Saner
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000379:methods*; D000072038:Cardiac Rehabilitation; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005080:Exercise Test; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome