Background:
Atherosclerosis is the most common cause of left ventricular systolic dysfunction in the USA, comprising 50% to 75% of patients with heart failure. It is important to demonstrate that those with ischemic systolic dysfunction and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) <40% participating in cardiac rehabilitation (CR) are achieving risk reduction comparable to participants with atherosclerosis and LVEF >= 40%.
Objectives:
To determine effectiveness of participation in CR on clinical outcomes in patients with atherosclerosis and LVEF < 40% as compared to those with atherosclerosis and LVEF >= 40%.
Methods:
Retrospective analysis on 388 patients (LVEF >= 40%, n = 328; LVEF < 40%, n = 60). Data analyzed included medications, pre-and post-program total cholesterol (TC), HDL-C, LDL-C, triglycerides (TG), body mass index (BMI), and metabolic equivalents (METs). Analysis was performed using the t-test.
Results:
Significant improvements in HDL, TG and METs occurred within each group post-program. The LVEF >= 40% group also has significant improvement in BMI, LDL and TC. There were no significant differences between groups in clinical outcomes at the conclusion of CR.
Conclusions:
These results suggest that CR integrates care of patients with chronic conditions such as atherosclerotic systolic dysfunction to achieve comparable risk factor reduction as achieved with individuals with LVEF >= 40%.