Synapse
⌘+K
Synapse
PulseExploreJournal ClubResearchersJournals
Instagram
HomeJournal ClubExplore
June 12, 2026European Journal of Preventive CardiologyOpen Access

Influence of cardiovascular risk factor count on functional capacity gains in elderly patients undergoing phase 2 cardiac rehabilitation

View Full Paper
Ask AI
Bookmark
Share

Why the study?

Does cardiovascular risk factor burden influence functional capacity improvement in elderly patients undergoing phase 2 cardiac rehabilitation?

Population

161 elderly patients who completed a 12-session phase II cardiac rehabilitation program, including 123 males…

Comparison

12-session phase II cardiac rehabilitation program vs Low cardiovascular risk factor burden versus…

Design

Cross-sectional

Follow-up

12 sessions

Key result

Low cardiovascular risk factor burden was associated with greater functional capacity improvement after phase 2 cardiac rehabilitation compared to high burden (delta METs 2.76 vs. 1.97, p<0.05).

Authors

AAA W AstutiMBM BulainNMN S Mutiadewi

Discussion

Loading...

Member takes

Overview

Supports early-phase gains in functional capacity; leaves open efficacy and adoption pending larger randomized trials.

Key Points

  • This study evaluates how cardiovascular risk factor count affects functional capacity improvements after cardiac rehabilitation in elderly patients.
  • Cross-sectional pre-post design with 161 elderly patients aged >60 years
  • Participants underwent a 12-session phase II cardiac rehabilitation program
  • Functional capacity measured in metabolic equivalents at baseline and post-intervention using a treadmill test.
  • Overall mean improvement in functional capacity was 2.17 METs across participants.
  • Low cardiovascular risk factor group showed greater improvement (2.76 METs) compared to high risk factor group (1.97 METs) with p<0.05.
  • Prevalence of individual risk factors included hypertension (64%), diabetes (30.4%), dyslipidemia (62.7%), and active smoking (60.9%).

Study Design

Type

Cross-Sectional (n=161)

Structured PICO

Does cardiovascular risk factor burden influence functional capacity improvement in elderly patients undergoing phase 2 cardiac rehabilitation?

P
Population
161 elderly patients (> 60 years) who completed a 12-session phase II cardiac rehabilitation program.
E
Exposure
12-session phase II cardiac rehabilitation program
C
Comparator
Low cardiovascular risk factor burden (≤ 1 CRF) versus high cardiovascular risk factor burden (≥ 2 CRFs)
O
Outcome
Functional capacity improvement (delta METs) measured using a treadmill testsurrogate

Main Result

Absolute Event Rate: 2.76% vs 1.97%

p-value: p=<0.05

Phase 2 cardiac rehabilitation improves functional capacity in elderly patients, with significantly greater gains observed in those with a lower cardiovascular risk factor burden.

Cite This Study

Astuti et al. (2026) conducted a cross-sectional in Elderly patients undergoing phase 2 cardiac rehabilitation (n=161). Low cardiovascular risk factor burden (≤ 1 CRF) vs. High cardiovascular risk factor burden (≥ 2 CRFs) was evaluated on Improvement in functional capacity (delta METs) (p=<0.05). Low cardiovascular risk factor burden was associated with greater functional capacity improvement after phase 2 cardiac rehabilitation compared to high burden (delta METs 2.76 vs. 1.97, p<0.05).

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a2bd11d6550ea4541ffe87fhttps://doi.org/10.1093/eurjpc/zwag249.328
View Full Paper
Ask AI
Bookmark
Share