Cardiac Rehabilitation of Patients with Acute ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction Undergoing Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in a Han Population in Northern China: A Prospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND

Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) has been associated with improved cardiac function in cardiovascular diseases. Our aim was to explore the factors associated with cardiac function and CR.

METHODS

This prospective cohort study had 473 STEMI patients admitted for primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) who were divided into a CR group (group A, n = 104) and a non-CR group (group B, n = 369) based on whether they could complete CR. Patients' clinical features, such as age, hyperlipidemia, family history of premature coronary heart disease (FHPCHD), smoking history, body mass index (BMI, kg/m), number of diseased vessels, arrhythmia during PCI, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) at 6 months after PCI were compared. Then, the clinical characteristics of patients were further analyzed according to those with MACEs (n = 78) and those without MACEs (n = 395).

RESULTS

After CR of 6 months, NT-proBNP levels (p = 0.027), 6-MWD (meter, P = 0.000), LVEF (P = 0.000) were significantly improved in group A compared to group B, but not for SMWA (P = 0.875). Multivariate analysis indicated that even though patients in group A (OR 3.06, 95% CI 1.132-8.274, p = 0.03) have a higher incidence of hyperlipidemia, their MACEs (OR 0.191, 95% CI 0.038-0.961, p = 0.05) at 6 months were significantly lower than in group B, mainly because the average patient low age (<65 years, OR 0.917, 95% CI 0.859-0.979, p = 0.01) and significant improvement of 6-MWD (OR 7.999, 95% CI 4.342-14.737, P = 0.00) and the LVEF at 6 months (OR 1.112, 95% CI 1.072-1.154, p = 0.00). Further analysis based on the MACES outcomes showed that there were 6 factors associated with the occurrence of MACEs, they were age >65 years (OR 1.032, 95% CI 1.009-1.009, p = 0.007), smoking history (OR 0.485, 95% CI 0.238-0.989, p = 0.046), education level (OR 2.646, 95% CI 1.370-5.108, p = 0.004), 6-MWD (OR 1.688, 95% CI 1.104-2.811, p = 0.044), LVEF (OR 0.958, 95% CI 0.926-0.991, p = 0.013) and CR (OR 6.271, 95% CI 2.236-17.590, p = 0.000).

CONCLUSION

CR, including exercise rehabilitation, is a beneficial option to reduce MACEs in STEMI patients treated with primary PCI.