Nutrition Intervention in Cardiac Rehabilitation: A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE AND STRATEGIES FOR THE FUTURE

Provision of dietary education in UK-based cardiac rehabilitation: a cross-sectional survey conducted in conjunction with the British Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation

Dietary education is a core component of cardiac rehabilitation (CR). It is unknown how or what dietary education is delivered across the UK. We aimed to characterise practitioners who deliver dietary education in UK CR and determine the format and content of the education sessions. A fifty-four-item survey was approved by the British Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation (BACPR) committee and circulated between July and October 2021 via two emails to the BACPR mailing list and on social media. Practitioners providing dietary education within CR programmes were eligible to respond. Survey questions encompassed: practitioner job title and qualifications, resources, and the format, content and individual tailoring of diet education. Forty-nine different centres responded. Nurses (65·1 %) and dietitians (55·3 %) frequently provided dietary education. Practitioners had no nutrition-related qualifications in 46·9 % of services. Most services used credible resources to support their education, and 24·5 % used BACPR core competencies. CR programmes were mostly community based (40·8 %), lasting 8 weeks (range: 2-25) and included two (range: 1-7) diet sessions. Dietary history was assessed at the start (79·6 %) and followed up (83·7 %) by most centres; barriers to completing assessment were insufficient time, staffing or other priorities. Services mainly focused on the Mediterranean diet while topics such as malnutrition and protein intake were lower priority topics. Service improvement should focus on increasing qualifications of practitioners, standardisation of dietary assessment and improvement in protein and malnutrition screening and assessment.

Time-Restricted Eating: A Novel Dietary Strategy for Cardiac Rehabilitation

Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is a multimodal program considered to be the standard of care for secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The primary goals of CR are managing CVD risk factors and improving quality of life. Exercise is the cornerstone, but nutrition education delivered by registered dietitians (RDs) is a core component of CR. Yet patient constraints to adherence to dietary change and limited availability of RDs represent major barriers to the success of completion of nutrition intervention during CR. Therefore, nutritional strategies that reduce CVD risk factors, barriers to adherence, and have capacity for broad dissemination are warranted within CR programs. In this review, we propose time-restricted eating (TRE) as a nutrition strategy to improve the outcomes of CR by drawing on parallels to CVD in other populations and describe the available preliminary data on the efficacy of TRE for CVD. TRE is a dietary strategy that involves alternating periods of fasting and consumption of calories each day. We outline the feasibility, safety, and beneficial cardiometabolic impact of TRE from TRE research in other populations. We also discuss the potential for synergistic benefits of exercise when combined with TRE. Although there is currently limited research on TRE within CR programs, we highlight CR as a unique clinical setting where TRE could play a role in secondary prevention of CVD. Overall, we outline the potential of TRE as a promising nutrition strategy to enhance the benefits of CR.

Cardiac rehabilitation designed for patients with obesity: OPTICARE XL RCT results on health-related quality of life and psychosocial well-being

Purpose We studied the effectiveness of a new cardiac rehabilitation (CR) program developed for patients with obesity compared with standard CR on HRQOL and psychosocial well-being.Materials and methods OPTICARE XL was a multicentre RCT in patients with cardiac disease and obesity (Netherlands Trial Register: NL5589). Patients were randomized to OPTICARE XL CR (n = 102) or standard CR (n = 99). The one-year OPTICARE XL CR group program included endurance and resistance exercises, behavioural coaching, and after-care. Standard CR consisted of a 6- to 12-week endurance exercise group program, and cardiovascular lifestyle education. Primary endpoint was HRQOL (MacNew) at six months post CR. Second, we assessed anxiety and depression (both HADS), fatigue (FSS), and participation in society (USER-P).Results In both groups, improvements in HRQOL were observed six months post CR. Mean HRQOL improved from 4.92 to 5.40 in standard CR [mean change (95% CI): 0.48 (0.28, 0.67)] and from 4.96 to 5.45 in OPTICARE XL CR (mean change (95% CI): 0.49 (0.29, 0.70), without between-group differences. Psychosocial well-being improvements within both groups were obtained at six months post CR, regardless of allocated program.Conclusions OPTICARE XL CR did not have added value in improving HRQOL and psychosocial well-being in patients with obesity.Implications for rehabilitationMore than a third of cardiac patients suffers from obesity, and standard cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs are suboptimal in this increasing patient population.The OPTICARE XL CR program is a state-of-the art, one-year CR program designed for patients with obesity including aerobic and strength exercises, behavioural coaching towards a healthy diet and an active lifestyle, and after-care.Improvements in HRQOL and psychosocial well-being were comparable between patients with obesity allocated to standard CR and OPTICARE XL CR.Therefore, there was no additional benefit of OPTICARE XL CR.

Reduced cardiovascular reserve capacity in long-term allogeneic stem cell transplant survivors

Premature cardiovascular mortality is increased in long-term allogeneic stem cell transplant (allo-SCT) survivors, but little information exists regarding subclinical cardiovascular dysfunction in this population. We compared peak oxygen uptake ([Formula: see text]O_2peak), a prognostic cardiovascular marker, and its determinants between long-term allo-SCT survivors and non-cancer controls. Fourteen allo-SCT survivors (mean ± SD, 44 ± 15 years, 50% male, median time since allo-SCT: 6.5 years [range 2-20]) and 14 age- and sex-matched controls (46 ± 13 years, 50% male) underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing to quantify [Formula: see text]O_2peak. Resting echocardiography (left-ventricular ejection fraction and strain), exercise cardiac MRI (peak cardiac and stroke volume index [CI_peak, SVI_peak]), biochemistry (hemoglobin, troponin-I, B-natriuretic peptide), dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (lean [LM] and fat [FM] mass, percent body fat [%BF]) and Fick-principal calculation (arteriovenous oxygen difference) were also performed. Survivors exhibited impaired [Formula: see text]O_2peak as compared with controls (25.9 ± 5.1 vs. 33.7 ± 6.5 ml kg^-1 min^-1, p = 0.002), which coincided with reduced CI_peak (6.6 ± 0.8 vs. 8.6 ± 1.9 L min^-1 m^-2; p = 0.001) secondary to reduced SVI_peak (48 ± 4 vs. 61 ± 8 ml m^-2; p < 0.001) rather than chronotropic impairment, and higher %BF (difference, 7.9%, p = 0.007) due to greater FM (5.8 kg; p = 0.069) and lower LM (4.3 kg, p = 0.25). All other measures were similar between groups. Despite comparable resting cardiac function and biomarker profiles, survivors exhibited reduced [Formula: see text]O_2peak and exercise cardiac function and increased %BF relative to controls. These results highlight potential therapeutic avenues and the utility of exercise-based cardiovascular assessment in unmasking cardiovascular dysfunction in allo-SCT survivors.

Effectiveness and reporting of nutrition interventions in cardiac rehabilitation programmes: a systematic review

AIMS

Dietary modification is essential for the secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. However, there are limited published evidence syntheses to guide practice in the cardiac rehabilitation (CR) setting. This systematic review's objective was to assess effectiveness and reporting of nutrition interventions to optimize dietary intake in adults attending CR.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of nutrition interventions within CR were eligible for inclusion and had to have measured change in dietary intake. MEDLINE, Embase, Emcare, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Scopus, and The Cochrane Library were searched from 2000 to June 2020, limited to publications in English. Evidence from included RCTs was synthesized descriptively. The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 tool. This review is registered on PROSPERO; CRD42020188723. Of 13 048 unique articles identified, 11 were eligible. Randomized controlled trials were conducted in 10 different countries, included 1542 participants, and evaluated 29 distinct dietary intake outcomes. Five studies reported statistically significant changes in diet across 13 outcomes. Most nutrition interventions were not reported in a manner that allowed replication in clinical practice or future research.

CONCLUSION

There is a gap in research testing high-quality nutrition interventions in CR settings. Findings should be interpreted in the light of limitations, given the overall body of evidence was heterogenous across outcomes and study quality; 6 of 11 studies were conducted more than 10 years old. Future research should investigate strategies to optimize and maintain nutrition improvements for patients attending CR.

REGISTRATION

PROSPERO; CRD42020188723.

Exercise modulates the immune system in cardiorespiratory disease patients: Implications for clinical practice during the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND

Patients with cardiorespiratory problems often suffer from systemic inflammation. Stress due to the disease and continuous inflammation can undermine the success of the rehabilitation program.

OBJECTIVE

This review has been undertaken primarily to understand the effectiveness of exercise training on the immune system in individuals undergoing cardiorespiratory rehabilitation and its implications for further management during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

Assessors analyzed related studies identified in the MEDLINE, PROQUEST, PUBMED, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, EMBASE, Google Scholar, Physiotherapy Evidence, and Science Direct databases. The studies were divided into groups focused on the effect of exercise on blood leukocytes, the anti-inflammatory effect, and the role of nutrition and exercise in resolving inflammation.

RESULTS

Twenty-eight studies were included in this review. The number of studies included in each section was as follows: the effects of exercise training on leukocytes in cardiorespiratory conditions (n = 8), anti-inflammatory effect (n = 6), and the role of nutrition and exercise in resolving inflammation (n = 14). The bias risk assessment showed poor internal validity; most included studies were assigned no and unclear descriptors.

CONCLUSIONS

Substantive evidence is presented that emphasizes the role of moderate-intensity exercise in boosting the immune system in patients with cardiorespiratory diseases. Exercise has anti-inflammatory effects that are vital for overall well-being and resolving longstanding inflammation. Individuals with an active lifestyle had a better pathogen immune response than more sedentary individuals. Our findings highlight the current need to investigate the long-term effects of cardiorespiratory rehabilitation programs.

Patient Preferences for Cardiac Rehabilitation - A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Although a large number of studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of cardiac rehabilitation(CR), patient preferences for CR remain unclear. Knowing patient preferences may contribute to increasing patient participation and adherence, thus improving patient prognosis.

METHODS

A systematic search was carried out using electronic databases and manual reference checks from inception until 15th June 2022. Quantitative studies, qualitative studies and mixed methods studies assessing patient preferences for CR were included. Two researchers independently conducted study selectionand data extraction. CR preferences were divided into three categories: CR settings, CR components, and CR contents. A narrative synthesis was applied to integrate the results of the included studies. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) was used to assess the quality of included studies.

RESULTS

Ultimately, 17 publications were included in this study. Regarding CR settings, most patients preferred the hospital to home, some considered both, and a few were willing to accept the local CR club as an alternative setting to the hospital. For CR components, regardless of age and gender, patients considered exercise training and nutrition counseling to be the most important and smoking cessation to be the least important. In exercise intervention of CR contents, progress discussion and encouragement were rated as most critical, and non-conflicting with other activities was rated as least critical. In psychological intervention of CR contents, most patients were willing to accept psychological intervention, and a few patients wanted to heal the trauma with the passage of time.

CONCLUSION

This systematic review provides important insights into patient preferences for CR, clarifying patient preferences for CR settings, components, and contents, along with possible influencing factors. Patient preferences may change due to the COVID-19 epidemic, and there is still a need to focus on patient preferences for CR and conduct more relevant primary research to validate the findings of this paper in the future.

Benefits of the First Pritikin Outpatient Intensive Cardiac Rehabilitation Program

PURPOSE

Intensive cardiac rehabilitation (ICR) is a comprehensive, medically supervised exercise treatment program covered by Medicare for patients with approved cardiac diagnoses. The aim of this study was to determine the benefits of the first Pritikin outpatient ICR program.

METHODS

This retrospective analysis included patients referred to ICR or traditional cardiac rehabilitation (CR) during the first 7 yr (2013-2019) at the first facility to implement Pritikin ICR. Intensive cardiac rehabilitation is composed of 36 education sessions on nutrition, exercise, and a healthy mindset, in addition to 36 monitored exercise sessions that comprise traditional CR. Assessments included anthropometrics (weight, body mass index, and waist circumference), dietary patterns, physical function (6-min walk test, [6MWT] Short Physical Performance Battery [SPPB: balance, 4-m walk, chair rise], handgrip strength), and health-related quality of life (Dartmouth COOP, 36-item Short Form Survey). Baseline and follow-up measures were compared within and between groups.

RESULTS

A total of 1963 patients enrolled (1507 ICR, 456 CR, 66.1 ± 11.4 yr, 68% male, 82% overweight or obese); 1141 completed the program (58%). The ICR patients completed 22 exercise and 18 education sessions in 9.6 wk; CR patients completed 19 exercise sessions in 10.3 wk. ICR resulted in improvements ( P &lt; .001 pre vs post) in all anthropometric measures, dietary patterns, 6MWT distance, all SPPB components, grip strength, and health-related quality of life. The improvements in anthropometrics and dietary patterns were greater in ICR than in CR.

CONCLUSIONS

The Pritikin outpatient ICR program promoted improvements in several cardiovascular health indices. Critical next steps are to assess long-term health outcomes after ICR, including cardiac events and mortality.