A systematic review of recent cardiac rehabilitation meta-analyses in patients with coronary heart disease or heart failure.

The aim of the project was to conduct a systematic review of meta-analyses of supervised, home-based or telemedicine-based exercise cardiac rehabilitation (CR) published between July 2011 and April 2018. Evidence on mortality, hospitalization, peak VO, exercise capacity, muscle strength and health-related quality of life in patients with coronary heart disease or heart failure referred to CR was obtained by searching six electronic databases. Of the 127 point estimates identified in the 30 CR meta-analyses identified (mortality, n = 12; hospitalization, n = 11; VO, n = 40; exercise capacity, n = 20; strength, n = 18; health-related quality of life, n = 26), 60% were statistically significant and 35% clinically important. The statistical data are sufficiently robust to promote strategies to improve referral to and participation in CR although evidence for clinical importance needs to be further investigated.