Short-term results of a 5-week comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation program after first-time myocardial infarction

Abstract A prospective single-center interventional cohort study was conducted to evaluate the effects of a 5-week comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation program on terms exercise capacity, quality of life, echocardiographic findings and autonomic modulation after first-time myocardial infarction. We studied 37 consecutive post-myocardial infartion patients (mean age 66 years). All patients began a 5-week cardiac rehabilitation supervised training. The exercise program consisted of 40 minutes of training, three times a week, on a cycle ergometer at 60-80% of the maximal heart rate. At baseline and after training program we analyzed: the distance walked after the Six-Minutes Walking Test (6MWT); quality of life (QoL) assesed using the Psychological General Well-Being Inventory (PGWBI) questionnaire; echocardiographic finding and autonomic balance assesed heart rate variability (HRV). We observed statistically significant improvement in exercise capacity (from 423±94 to 496±13 m; P