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June 12, 2026European Journal of Preventive CardiologyOpen Access

Changes in functional capacity after a contemporary cardiac rehabilitation program: results from the ReCardio national registry

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Why the study?

Does a comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation program improve functional capacity in adult patients with ischaemic heart disease?

Population

77 adult patients with ischaemic heart disease who completed a cardiac rehabilitation program and performed…

Comparison

Comprehensive, exercise-based cardiac… vs Baseline functional capacity

Design

Cross-sectional

Follow-up

End of cardiac rehabilitation program

Authors

MFM Sestayo FernandezCPC Pena-GilAAA Albaladejo

Discussion

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Overview

May improve functional capacity in IHD during contemporary CR; supports benefits but leaves outcome effects open.

Key Points

  • This study aims to assess changes in functional capacity among patients enrolled in contemporary cardiac rehabilitation programs across Spain.
  • Prospective multicentre cross-sectional registry involving patients with ischaemic heart disease.
  • Data collected from seven Spanish centres over one year with a total of 77 patients.
  • Statistical analysis conducted for variations in VO2 peak before and after cardiac rehabilitation.
  • Mean peak oxygen consumption increased from 23.4 to 25.6 ml/kg/min (p < 0.001), indicating a 2.1 ml/kg/min gain.
  • Percentage of predicted VO2 improved from 97.4% to 102.0% (mean change +4.6%, p < 0.001).
  • 50% of patients starting with predicted VO2 <80% improved above this threshold by the end of rehabilitation.

Structured PICO

Does a comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation program improve functional capacity in adult patients with ischaemic heart disease?

P
Population
77 adult patients with ischaemic heart disease (acute coronary syndrome, chronic coronary syndrome, or prior coronary revascularization) who completed a cardiac rehabilitation program and performed a cardiopulmonary exercise test.
I
Intervention
Comprehensive, exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR) program
C
Comparator
Baseline (pre-CR) functional capacity (within-subject comparison)
O
Outcome
Change in functional capacity (peak oxygen consumption / VO2 peak) from start to end of CRsurrogate

Participation in a contemporary exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation program significantly improves aerobic capacity (VO2 peak) in patients with ischaemic heart disease, even among those with preserved baseline functional capacity.

Cite This Study

Fernandez et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a2bd1386550ea4541ffe9dehttps://doi.org/10.1093/eurjpc/zwag249.359
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Also Consider

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

  1. 1Current control of patient body composition after a contemporary cardiac rehabilitation program: the ReCardio registry2026
  2. 2Current control of lipid profile after a contemporary cardiac rehabilitation program: insights from interim analysis of the spanish national ReCardio registry2026
  3. 3Cardiac rehabilitation in non-ischaemic cardiomyopathies: functional, psychosocial, and structural benefits compared with coronary artery disease2026
  4. 4Current control of diabetes after cardiac rehabilitation program: the ReCardio registry2026
  5. 5Cardiac rehabilitation for workers with ischemic heart disease: Benefits for cardiovascular health and quality of life2025 · 1 citations