PURPOSE: Important goals of cardiac rehabilitation maintenance programs (CMP) are to increase leisure time physical activity (LTPA) and improve health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Elderly patients with cardiac disease and low exercise capacity are simultaneously the most severely affected and have the most to gain from exercise-based rehabilitation. Individualized combined exercise (ICE) may be an effective modality to achieve these goals. We compared six months of ICE to CMP in their effects on LTPA and HRQoL. METHODS: Sixty patients (70 +/- 9 years, 39% female) with cardiac disease and low exercise capacity (< 6 MET) were randomly allocated to six months of once-weekly ICE or CMP. The patients in ICE performed moderate endurance and resistance exercise on machines, based on intensities from individual peak exercise testing. Patients in CMP performed weekly sessions of calisthenics, flexibility, coordination and relaxation activities. LTPA and HRQoL were assessed with accelerometry and questionnaires at baseline and six months. RESULTS: Sixty patients completed the trial. ICE increased vigorous PA (ICE delta +12 MET-min/d, CMP delta -5 MET-min/d, p = 0.02) and steps per day (ICE +1,586 steps/d, CMP -838 steps/d, p < 0.01) compared to CMP after six months. ICE significantly improved in several components of HRQoL (vitality, emotional health, social health, positive and negative affect (all p < 0.05) compared to CMP. CONCLUSIONS: ICE resulted in significant improvements in physical activity levels and health related quality of life in moderate to high-risk patients compared to CMP.

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