Improved quality of life with cardiac rehabilitation for post-myocardial infarction patients in Korea

Background: Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) has been used as a primary health outcome in cardiac rehabilitation programs (CRP). Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of an 8-week CRP on HRQOL and exercise capacity in myocardial infarction (MI) patients in Korea. Methods: After matching on gender, age, and left ventricular ejection fraction, 60 subjects with a first acute MI were allocated to either a CRP group (n = 31) or a Control group (n = 29). The 8-week CRP included hospital-based, supervised exercise training (three times per week, average intensity of 65% VO_2peak) and individual education sessions. The Control group was instructed on a home-based exercise regimen without contact during the 8 weeks. At baseline and 8 weeks, HRQOL was assessed by the Quality of Life Index (QLI)-cardiac version III; exercise capacity by a treadmill test. Results: After adjusting for education level, the overall QLI, health/functioning and psycho/spiritual scores showed greater increases in the CRP group than the Control group (p = .014, p = .016, and p = .036, respectively). We observed significant improvements in VO_2peak (p < .0001), anaerobic threshold (p < .0001), and maximal exercise duration (p < .0001) in the CRP group, compared to the Control group. Conclusions: These findings suggest that the Korean CRP can lead to significant improvements in HRQOL outcomes and exercise capacity.