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Cardiac Rehabilitation Evidence — EECC MCQ

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EasyCoronary Artery DiseaseCardiac Rehabilitation EvidenceEECC

A 55-year-old man with a recent NSTEMI asks about cardiac rehabilitation. What are the core components of cardiac rehabilitation and what is the evidence for benefit?

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Correct answer: C — Cardiac rehabilitation includes supervised exercise training, patient education, psychosocial support, risk factor management, and lifestyle modification — meta-analyses show a 20-25% reduction in cardiovascular mortality and 30% reduction in hospital readmissions

Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is a comprehensive, multidisciplinary programme comprising: (1) structured exercise training (aerobic + resistance, supervised progressing to independent); (2) patient education (disease understanding, medication adherence, symptom recognition); (3) dietary counselling (Mediterranean diet, sodium restriction in HF); (4) smoking cessation support; (5) psychosocial assessment and support (anxiety, depression screening, CBT); (6) vocational rehabilitation (return to work planning). The Cochrane meta-analysis shows: 20-25% reduction in CV mortality, 30% reduction in hospital readmissions, improved quality of life and exercise capacity. The ESC Prevention Guidelines recommend CR after ACS, revascularisation, HF, and valve surgery (Class I, LOE A). Despite strong evidence, uptake remains suboptimal (~50% of eligible patients in the UK are referred).

Reference: ESC (2021): CVD Prevention Guidelines; BACPR Standards