Purpose of review: Cardiac Rehabilitation (CR) was originally designed to return patients to their prior level of functioning after myocardial infarction (MI). Research has since revealed the mortality benefit of CR, and CR has been given a class 1A recommendation by the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology (AHA/ACC). In this review, we shift our focus back to function and highlight the most recent research on the functional benefits of CR in a broad range of cardiac diseases and conditions.
Recent findings: Currently, CR is indicated for patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), peripheral arterial disease (PAD), transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), left ventricular assist devices (LVADs), and cardiac transplant. Among patients with those conditions, CR has been shown to improve exercise capacity, cognition, mental health, and overall quality of life. As survival of cardiac diseases increases, CR emerges as an increasingly important tool to lend quality to patients' lives and therefore give meaning to survival.
Keywords: Cardiac rehabilitation; Exercise training; Post-myocardial infarction care; Secondary prevention.