Long-term results of a three-week intensive cardiac out-patient rehabilitation program in motivated patients with low social status

The short-term benefits of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) are well established. In contrast, well-documented long-term results are rare. The objective of this longitudinal multi-centre observational study was to examine the effects of intensive out-patient CR in a larger patient cohort, especially for patients with low social status. We present the final results 24 months after CR. The study group of 327 patients (288 men, 39 women, aged 56.0+/-10.8 years, coronary artery disease in 295, other cardiac diseases in 32) participated in a 3- week CR programme followed by clinical re-evaluations 6 (III), 12 (IV) an 24 (V) months later. The improvement in mean maximal performance of 100.5+/-31.4 to 123.1+/-36.2 W (p