Randomized controlled evaluation shows the effectiveness of a home-based cardiac rehabilitation program.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness of a home-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR) program on post-coronary arteries bypass graft patients.

METHODS: This is a randomized study conducted in King Fahd Armed Forces Hospital, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia between June 2008 and January 2010. Forty-nine participants were randomized to either a control group (standard hospital treatment, n=21) or an intervention group (home-based CR, n=28). Data were collected before hospital discharge (baseline test) and repeated 6 months after hospital discharge (follow-up test).

RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the groups in the body mass index, hemodynamics, serum fasting lipid profile, and Quality of Life questionnaire (QoL) (p>0.05), with differences in physical function and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scales (HADS) (p<0.05) at the baseline test. At the follow-up test, the intervention group showed greater improvement in health-related QoL and risk factors compared to the control group, with significant differences in fasting blood glucose, triglycerides, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, physical function, and both QoL and HADS questionnaires (p<0.05). The intervention group also demonstrated significant improvements in QoL, HADS, body mass index, heart rate, high density lipoprotein cholesterol and physical function (p<0.05), while significant differences were observed in the control group in heart rate, QoL and physical function (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: The home-based CR program improves health-related QoL and risk factor profiles for patients following coronary arteries bypass graft to greater extent than the standard hospital care.