Long-Term Follow-Up of HRQoL up to Six Years after Outpatient Phase-II Cardiac Rehabilitation

oleh: Bianca Auschra, Sebastian Euler, Yara Zehnder, Rubén Fuentes Artiles, David Niederseer, Claudia Zuccarella-Hackl, Roland von Känel, Lena Jellestad

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2024-01-01

Deskripsi

<b>Background:</b> Low health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes in coronary heart disease (CHD) patients. Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) improves HRQoL; however, evidence on long-term HRQoL changes after CR, and their predictors, is missing. <b>Methods:</b> A total of 153 patients with complete HRQoL data in the short-form (SF)-36 Health Survey at CR entry, discharge and follow-up were included. Using linear mixed-effects regression models for repeated time measurements, we examined predictors of follow-up HRQoL, including age and clinical characteristics. <b>Results:</b> Both physical (<i>t</i> = −5.66, <i>p</i> < 0.001) and mental (<i>t</i> = −2.06, <i>p</i> = 0.040) HRQoL improved significantly from CR entry to discharge, with improvements remaining stable over a mean follow-up of four years (range 2.4–6.1). Better functional capacity (6MWT) at CR entry predicted better physical HRQoL (<i>t</i> = 5.50, <i>p</i> < 0.001) and, with a trend, better mental HRQoL (<i>t</i> = 1.92, <i>p</i> = 0.056) at follow-up. A psychiatric diagnosis at CR entry predicted better mental HRQoL at follow-up (<i>t</i> = 3.85, <i>p</i> < 0.001). <b>Conclusions:</b> Improvements in HRQoL during CR remain stable during long-term follow-up. Levels of functional capacity appear to be relevant to both physical and mental HRQoL at follow-up.