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June 12, 2026European Journal of Preventive CardiologyOpen Access

From surviving to thriving: long-term benefits of phase III cardiac rehabilitation

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Why the study?

Does a phase III cardiac rehabilitation program improve functional capacity and quality of life in patients with cardiovascular disease?

Population

99 patients with cardiovascular disease, mean age 61.1 ± 10.2 years, 79.8% male, 15.1% type II diabetes.

Design

Cohort

Follow-up

1 year

Key result

Attending a phase III cardiac rehabilitation program 3 times per week was associated with greater improvement in peak workload (17.0 vs 7.3 W, p=0.002) at 1 year compared to less frequent attendance.

Authors

CSC Sena SilvaDCD I CazeiroFCF Cazeiro

Discussion

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Overview

Associated with sustained QoL gains after phase III CR; hypothesis-generating, needs RCTs to confirm causality.

Key Points

  • The aim is to evaluate the effects of a phase III cardiac rehabilitation program on functional capacity and quality of life over one year.
  • Single-center prospective cohort study including cardiovascular disease patients in a phase III supervised exercise program.
  • Participants enrolled in a community CR program with sessions 2-3 times/week for 60 minutes.
  • Clinical data and assessments collected at baseline and at 1-year follow-up.
  • Significant improvement in general health (p=0.005), role-physical (p=0.028), and physical functioning (p<0.001) after one year.
  • Attending sessions 3 times/week linked to greater peak workload improvement (p=0.002) and higher peak VO2 (p=0.046).
  • Diabetic patients exhibited worse physical functioning (p=0.032) and social functioning (p=0.008) compared to others.

Study Design

Type

Cohort (n=99)

Multicenter

No

Structured PICO

Does a phase III cardiac rehabilitation program improve functional capacity and quality of life in patients with cardiovascular disease?

P
Population
99 cardiovascular disease patients (predominantly post-acute coronary syndrome) enrolled in a phase III supervised exercise-based community cardiac rehabilitation program, followed for 1 year.
E
Exposure
Phase III supervised exercise-based community cardiac rehabilitation program (2-3 times per week, combined training, 60 minutes per session) over 1 year.
O
Outcome
Functional capacity (cardiopulmonary exercise test results) and Quality of Life (36-Item Short Form Survey responses) at 1-year follow-up.patient reported

Main Result

Absolute Event Rate: 17% vs 7.3%

p-value: p=0.002

Phase III cardiac rehabilitation provides sustained 1-year improvements in physical function, exercise capacity, and quality of life, particularly in younger patients and those attending more frequently.

Cite This Study

Silva et al. (2026) conducted a cohort in Cardiovascular disease (n=99). Phase III cardiac rehabilitation program vs. Less frequent attendance was evaluated on Improvement in peak workload (W) at 1 year (p=0.002). Attending a phase III cardiac rehabilitation program 3 times per week was associated with greater improvement in peak workload (17.0 vs 7.3 W, p=0.002) at 1 year compared to less frequent attendance.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a2bd11d6550ea4541ffe8e9https://doi.org/10.1093/eurjpc/zwag249.335
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Also Consider

Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context:

  1. 1Heartfelt gains: quality of life in phase II cardiac rehabilitation2026
  2. 2Community Cardiac Rehabilitation Program: Lessons Learned for Long‐Term Outcomes2025 · 1 citations
  3. 3Factors Associated With Improved Exercise Tolerance Among Patients Undergoing Long‐Term Phase III Cardiac Rehabilitation: A Two‐Center Retrospective Observational Study2025
  4. 4Impact of phase II cardiac telerehabilitation on physical capacity in coronary heart disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis2026
  5. 5Physical activity and sedentary behaviour in a phase III cardiac rehabilitation program: identifying vulnerable subgroups2026