Editorial commentary: Cardiac rehabilitation: Major benefits and minor risks

• Published in: Trends in cardiovascular medicine Vol. 27; no. 6; pp. 426 - 427
• Main Authors: Foster, Jennifer G., MD, Lewis, Steven F., Phd, Hennekens, Charles H., MD, DrPH
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.08.2017; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Angina pectoris; Cardiology; Cardiovascular; Cardiovascular disease; Coronary vessels; Exercise; Health risk assessment; Heart attacks; Heart diseases; Heart failure; Hypertension; Medical referrals; Patients; Physical fitness; Physiology; Quality of life; Rehabilitation; Subacute care; Transplants & implants; Trends
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tcm.2017.03.001
• ISSN: 1050-1738

In the current issue of Trends in Cardiovascular Medicine, McMahon and colleagues provide a detailed overview of the major benefits and minor risks of cardiac rehabilitation (CR), especially in the post-acute care of coronary artery disease (CAD), valvular heart disease, cardiac transplant, and heart failure. Based on a persuasive totality of evidence demonstrating the major benefits and minor risks of CR in patients without the aforementioned contraindications, including the low rate of complications, the increasingly broad indications for referral to CR now include: myocardial infarction, percutaneous coronary intervention, coronary artery bypass grafting, cardiac transplantation, peripheral artery disease with claudication, and heart failure. In these regards, McMahon and colleagues make an important and timely contribution. 1 S.R. McMahon, P.A. Ades, P.D. Thompson, The role of cardiac rehabilitation in patients with heart disease, Trends Cardiovasc Med, 2017 2 A.S. Leon, Cardiac Rehabilitation and Secondary Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease: an American Heart Association Scientific Statement From the Council on Clinical Cardiology (Subcommittee on Exercise, Cardiac Rehabilitation, and Prevention) and the Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Metabolism (Subcommittee on Physical Activity), in Collaboration with the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation, Circulation, Vol. 111, Iss. 3, 2005, 369-376 3 W.M. Mampuya,...