The Impact of Home Cardiac Rehabilitation on Quality of Life and Psychological Well-Being in Patients with Coronary Heart Disease: A Randomized Controlled Study

Abstract

Background: Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), a therapeutic approach to coronary heart disease, significantly alleviates symptoms of coronary heart disease (CHD) and substantially improves quality of life. This study aimed to investigate the effect of home cardiac rehabilitation (HCR) on patients after PCI. Material/Methods: We randomly divided 106 patients after PCI into an Intervention group (n=52) and a Control group (n=53). Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), blood pressure, blood glucose, and low-density lipoprotein were measured in both groups before hospital discharge and after 3 months of engaging in the intervention. Patients were assessed using the short-form health survey (SF-12) scale and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) scale. Results: After 3 months of HCR intervention, SF-12 scores of patients in the Intervention group were significantly higher compared to patients in the Control group (physical component summary (PCS): 47.46±9.86 vs 43.28±8.21; and Mental Component Summary (MCS): 50.68±9.82 vs 48.26±9.69) (P<0.05). Three months after HCR intervention, HADS scores of patients in the Intervention group were remarkably decreased compared to patients in the Control group (HADS-A: 7.24±1.32 vs 9.26±1.89; HADS-D: 7.79±0.81 vs 9.68±1.29) (P<0.05). Risk factors control and compliance rates of patients in the Intervention group were significantly higher compared to patients in the Control group (blood pressure: 92.45% vs 67.92%; fasting blood glucose: 88.68% vs 66.04%; low-density lipoprotein: 86.79% vs 56.60%) (all P<0.05). There was no significant difference in LVEF value between the Intervention group and the Control group after intervention (P>0.05). Conclusions: Home cardiac rehabilitation can improve quality of life and psychology state and can help to control risk factors of coronary heart disease.