Cardiac rehabilitation for outpatients aged over 80 years with cardiovascular diseases
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Background
In 2023, Japan had the highest proportion of the elderly in the world, with one in 10 individuals aged ≥80 years. Consequently, the number of patients with cardiovascular diseases is increasing. Older patients often have comorbidities such as frailty, sarcopenia, and cognitive decline that leads to a decreased quality of life (QOL). We analyzed the effects of outpatient cardiac rehabilitation (OCR) in elderly patients with cardiovascular disease.
Methods
The comprehensive OCR had been provided by a multidisciplinary team. We analyzed data from 49 patients with cardiovascular diseases, aged ≥80 years, who received cardiopulmonary exercise (CPX) tests based OCR. Frailty, physical function, QOL, exercise tolerance, and vascular endothelial function were assessed before and after OCR.
Results
All 49 patients had completed the OCR program. The mean patients’ age was 84.1 ± 3.6 years and 32.7% were male. The proportion of frailty and pre-frailty participants significantly decreased from 92% to 67% following OCR. The QOL (KCCQ: 76.8 ± 18.4 vs. 81.4 ± 20.4; P = 0.0196), exercise tolerance (peak VO₂: 14.1 ± 4.0 vs. 15.4 ± 3.9 mL/min/kg; P = 0.0017), and vascular endothelial function (Ln-RHI: 0.48 ± 0.39 vs. 0.57 ± 0.3; P = 0.027) significantly improved after OCR.
Conclusions
The comprehensive OCR with CPX-based exercise therapy and the multidisciplinary approach significantly improved frailty, the QOL, physical function, exercise tolerance, and vascular endothelial function in patients with cardiovascular diseases aged ≥80 years.
