The effect of cardiac rehabilitation on recovery of heart rate over one minute after exercise in patients with coronary artery bypass graft surgery

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the effects of cardiac rehabilitation on the recovery of heart rate over 1 min after peak exercise of patients who received coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Design: Thirty subjects who received CABG surgery were randomly assigned to enter or not enter a cardiac rehabilitation exercise programme (cardiac rehabilitation n = 15; control group n = 15). Setting: Outpatient cardiac rehabilitation centre in a national medical hospital. Interventions: Patients assigned to the cardiac rehabilitation group received 36 sessions of the exercise programme, three times a week, with the intensity designed to achieve an individual 60-85% peak heart rate in cardiopulmonary exercise test. Patients assigned to the control group did not get further advice about a specific exercise programme. Main outcome measures: Resting heart rate and recovery of heart rate over 1 min after a peak exercise test at discharge and three months later were collected. The heart rates were analysed with computer-recorded electrocardiogram. Results: At follow-up, the 15 patients in the cardiac rehabilitation group had a significantly lower resting heart rate (77.46±9.49 versus 92.31±10.18 bpm; p < 0.001) and a significantly higher recovery of heart rate over 1 min (16.38±6.32 versus 11.38±4.81 bpm; p = 0.03) compared with the control group. There were also significant reductions in resting heart rates (cardiac rehabilitation p < 0.001; control p = 0.05) and improvements in recovery on heart rate over 1 min (cardiac rehabilitation p < 0.001; control p = 0.001) compared with baseline measurements in both the cardiac rehabilitation and control groups. Conclusion: Cardiac rehabilitation had a positive effect on the improvement of recovery on heart rate over 1 min in patients with coronary artery disease who received CABG surgery. © 2005 Edward Arnold (Publishers) Ltd.