Benefit of cardiac rehabilitation in acute heart failure patients with cognitive impairment

This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of cognitive impairment among patients with acute heart failure (AHF), its prognosis, and the effects of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) on these patients' outcomes. Overall, 247 consecutive AHF patients (median age, 60 years; males, 78.5 %) were evaluated from March 2015 to May 2021. Patients received an AHF disease management program coordinated by an HF specialist nurse and underwent a Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological battery-screening test (LNNB-S) assessment during admission. Cognitive impairment was defined as an LNNB-S score ≥10. Patients who underwent at least one session of phase II CR and continued with the home-based exercise program were considered to have received CR. The primary endpoint was composite all-cause mortality or readmission after a 3.30-year follow-up (interquartile range, 1.69–5.09 years). Cognitive impairment occurred in 53.0 % and was associated with significantly higher composite endpoint, all-cause mortality, and readmission rates (p=