This prospective study evaluated the effect of an individualized, comprehensive, home-based cardiac rehabilitation program combining exercise training with risk factor modification and psychosocial counseling on risk factors, psychological well-being, functional capacity, and work resumption in 99 post-percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) patients randomized to control (standard care plus telephone follow-up, n = 49) or intervention (individualized, comprehensive, home-based cardiac rehabilitation, n = 50) groups. Data were collected at time 1 (T1) during hospital admission, time 2 (T2) approximately 2 months post-PCI, and time 3 (T3) approximately 12 months post-PCI. Results suggest that the allocation to an individualized, comprehensive, home-based cardiac rehabilitation program provided more advantageous outcomes. At both follow-ups, the intervention group showed within-group improvement in serum cholesterol levels (p < 0.02; p < 0.01) and exercise participation (p < 0.001; p < 0.001) with differences in exercise participation favoring the intervention group (p < 0.01) at T2. Repeated measures ANOVA showed significant improvements over time in body mass index (BMI) (p < 0.01), psychological well-being (p < 0.001), and functional capacity (p < 0.001) for both groups. More patients in the intervention group had returned to work at T2 (p < 0.001) and did so more quickly (p < 0.01). These findings suggest that an individualized, comprehensive, home-based cardiac rehabilitation program improves risk factor profiles and work resumption patterns for patients following PCI.
With permission from Excerpta Medica Inc.

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