Clinical outcomes after cardiac rehabilitation in elderly patients with and without diabetes mellitus: The EU-CaRE multicenter cohort study

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.

Breathing pattern and pulmonary gas exchange in elderly patients with and without left ventricular dysfunction-modification with exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation and prognostic value

Background

Inefficient ventilation is an established prognostic marker in patients with heart failure. It is not known whether inefficient ventilation is also linked to poor prognosis in patients with left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) but without overt heart failure.

Objectives

To investigate whether inefficient ventilation in elderly patients with LVD is more common than in patients without LVD, whether it improves with exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (exCR), and whether it is associated with major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE).

Methods

In this large multicentre observational longitudinal study, patients aged ≥65 years with acute or chronic coronary syndromes (ACS, CCS) without cardiac surgery who participated in a study on the effectiveness of exCR in seven European countries were included. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) was performed before, at the termination of exCR, and at 12 months follow-up. Ventilation (VE), breathing frequency (BF), tidal volume (VT), and end-expiratory carbon dioxide pressure (PETCO2) were measured at rest, at the first ventilatory threshold, and at peak exercise. Ventilatory parameters were compared between patients with and without LVD (based on cardio-echography) and related to MACE at 12 month follow-up.

Results

In 818 patients, age was 72.5 ± 5.4 years, 21.9% were women, 79.8% had ACS, and 151 (18%) had LVD. Compared to noLVD, in LVD resting VE was increased by 8%, resting BF by 6%, peak VE, peak VT, and peak PETCO2 reduced by 6%, 8%, and 5%, respectively, and VE/VCO2 slope increased by 11%. From before to after exCR, resting VE decreased and peak PETCO2 increased significantly more in patients with compared to without LVD. In LVD, higher resting BF, higher nadir VE/VCO2, and lower peak PETCO2 at baseline were associated with MACE.

Conclusions

Similarly to patients with HF, in elderly patients with ischemic LVD, inefficient resting and exercise ventilation was associated with worse outcomes, and ExCR alleviated abnormal breathing patterns and gas exchange parameters.

Long-Term Maintenance of Cardiorespiratory Fitness Gains After Cardiac Rehabilitation Reduces Mortality Risk in Patients With Multimorbidity

PURPOSE

The objective of this study was to characterize the impact of multimorbidity and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) on mortality in patients completing cardiac rehabilitation (CR).

METHODS

This cohort study included data from patients with a history of cardiovascular disease (CVD) completing a 12-wk CR program between January 1996 and March 2016, with follow-up through March 2017. Patients were stratified by the presence of multimorbidity, which was defined as having a diagnosis of ≥2 noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Cox regression analyses were used to evaluate the effects of multimorbidity and CRF on mortality in patients completing CR. Symptom-limited exercise tests were completed at baseline, immediately following CR (12 wk), with a subgroup completing another test at 1-yr follow-up. Peak metabolic equivalents (METs) were determined from treadmill speed and grade.

RESULTS

Of the 8320 patients (61 ± 10 yr, 82% male) included in the analyses, 5713 (69%) patients only had CVD diagnosis, 2232 (27%) had CVD+1 NCD, and 375 (4%) had CVD+≥2 NCDs. Peak METs at baseline (7.8 ± 2.0, 6.9 ± 2.0, 6.1 ± 1.9 METs), change in peak METs immediately following CR (0.98 ± 0.98, 0.83 ± 0.95, 0.76 ± 0.95 METs), and change in peak METs 1 yr after CR (0.98 ± 1.27, 0.75 ± 1.17, 0.36 ± 1.24 METs) were different ( P < .001) among the subgroups. Peak METs at 12 wk and the presence of coexisting conditions were each predictors ( P < .001) of mortality. Improvements in CRF by ≥0.5 METS from baseline to 1-yr follow-up among patients with or without multimorbidity were associated with lower mortality rates.

CONCLUSION

Increasing CRF by ≥0.5 METs improves survival regardless of multimorbidity status.

Trends in cardiac rehabilitation enrollment post-coronary artery bypass grafting upon implementation of automatic referral in Southeast Asia: A retrospective cohort study

Introduction: Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is an effective but underutilized intervention. Strategies have been identified to increase its use, but there is paucity of data testing them in low-resource settings. We sought to determine the effect of automatic referral post-coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery on CR enrollment.

Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study assessing cardiac patients referred to CR at a tertiary center in Southeast Asia from 2013 to 2019. The paper-based pathway was introduced at the end of 2012. The checklist with automatic CR referral on the third day post-operation prompted a nurse to educate the patient about CR, initiate phase 1 and encourage enrollment in phase 2. Patients who were not eligible for the pathway for administrative or clinical reasons were referred at the discretion of the attending physician (i.e., usual care). Enrollment was defined as attendance at≥1 CR visit.

Results: Of 4792 patients referred during the study period, 394 enrolled in CR. Significantly more patients referred automatically enrolled compared to usual care (225 [11.8%] vs. 169 [5.8%]; OR=2.2, 95% CI=1.8-2.7), with increases up to 23.4% enrollment in 2014 (vs. average enrollment rate of 5.9% under usual referral). Patients who enrolled following automatic referral were significantly younger and more often employed (both P<0.001); no other differences were observed.

Conclusion: In a lower-resource, Southeast Asian setting, automatic CR referral is associated with over two times greater enrollment in phase 2 CR, although efforts to maintain this effect are required.

Benefits of cardiac rehabilitation following acute coronary syndrome for patients with and without diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Aim

The benefits of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) after acute coronary syndrome (ACS) are well established. However, the relative benefit of CR in those with comorbidities, including diabetes, is not well understood. This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the benefit of CR on exercise capacity and secondary outcomes in ACS patients with a co-diagnosis of diabetes compared to those without.

Methods

Five databases were searched in May 2021 for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies reporting CR outcomes in ACS patients with and without diabetes. The primary outcome of this study was exercise capacity expressed as metabolic equivalents (METs) at the end of CR and ≥ 12-month follow-up. Secondary outcomes included health-related quality of life, cardiovascular- and diabetes-related outcomes, lifestyle-related outcomes, psychological wellbeing, and return to work. If relevant/possible, studies were pooled using random-effects meta-analysis.

Results

A total of 28 studies were included, of which 20 reported exercise capacity and 18 reported secondary outcomes. Overall, the studies were judged to have a high risk of bias. Meta-analysis of exercise capacity was undertaken based on 18 studies (no RCTs) including 15,288 patients, of whom 3369 had diabetes. This analysis showed a statistically significant smaller difference in the change in METs in ACS patients with diabetes (standardised mean difference (SMD) from baseline to end of CR: − 0.15 (95% CI: − 0.24 to − 0.06); SMD at the ≥ 12-month follow-up: − 0.16 (95% CI: − 0.23 to − 0.10, four studies)).

Conclusion

The benefit of CR on exercise capacity in ACS patients was lower in those with diabetes than in those without diabetes. Given the small magnitude of this difference and the substantial heterogeneity in the results of the study caused by diverse study designs and methodologies, further research is needed to confirm our findings. Future work should seek to eliminate bias in observational studies and evaluate CR based on comprehensive outcomes.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12872-022-02723-5.

Predictors for one-year outcomes of cardiorespiratory fitness and cardiovascular risk factor control after cardiac rehabilitation in elderly patients: The EU-CaRE study

Introduction

Studies on effectiveness of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) in elderly cardiovascular disease patients are rare, and it is unknown, which patients benefit most. We aimed to identify predictors for 1-year outcomes of cardiorespiratory fitness and CV risk factor (CVRF) control in patients after completing CR programs offered across seven European countries.

Methods

Cardiovascular disease patients with minimal age 65 years who participated in comprehensive CR were included in this observational study. Peak oxygen uptake (VO₂), body mass index (BMI), resting systolic blood pressure (BPsys), and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) were assessed before CR (T0), at termination of CR (T1), and 12 months after start of CR (T2). Predictors for changes were identified by multivariate regression models.

Results

Data was available from 1241 out of 1633 EU-CaRE patients. The strongest predictor for improvement in peak VO₂ was open chest surgery, with a nearly four-fold increase in surgery compared to non-surgery patients. In patients after surgery, age, female sex, physical inactivity and time from index event to T0 were negative predictors for improvement in peak VO₂. In patients without surgery, previous acute coronary syndrome and higher exercise capacity at T0 were the only negative predictors. Neither number of attended training sessions nor duration of CR were significantly associated with change in peak VO₂. Non-surgery patients were more likely to achieve risk factor targets (BPsys, LDL-C, BMI) than surgery patients.

Conclusions

In a previously understudied population of elderly CR patients, time between index event and start of CR in surgery and disease severity in non-surgery patients were the most important predictors for long-term improvement of peak VO₂. Non-surgery patients had better CVRF control.

Changes and prognostic value of cardiopulmonary exercise testing parameters in elderly patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation: The EU-CaRE observational study

Objective

We aimed 1) to test the applicability of the previously suggested prognostic value of CPET to elderly cardiac rehabilitation patients and 2) to explore the underlying mechanism of the greater improvement in exercise capacity (peak oxygen consumption, VO₂) after CR in surgical compared to non-surgical cardiac patients.

Methods

Elderly patients (≥65 years) commencing CR after coronary artery bypass grafting, surgical valve replacement (surgery-group), percutaneous coronary intervention, percutaneous valve replacement or without revascularisation (non-surgery group) were included in the prospective multi-center EU-CaRE study. CPETs were performed at start of CR, end of CR and 1-year-follow-up. Logistic models and receiver operating characteristics were used to determine prognostic values of CPET parameters for major adverse cardiac events (MACE). Linear models were performed for change in peak VO₂ (start to follow-up) and parameters accounting for the difference between surgery and non-surgery patients were sought.

Results

1421 out of 1633 EU-CaRE patients performed a valid CPET at start of CR (age 73±5.4, 81% male). No CPET parameter further improved the receiver operation characteristics significantly beyond the model with only clinical parameters. The higher improvement in peak VO₂ (25% vs. 7%) in the surgical group disappeared when adjusted for changes in peak tidal volume and haemoglobin.

Conclusion

CPET did not improve the prediction of MACE in elderly CR patients. The higher improvement of exercise capacity in surgery patients was mainly driven by restoration of haemoglobin levels and improvement in respiratory function after sternotomy.

Trial registration

Netherlands Trial Register, Trial NL5166.

Mechanisms of reduced peak oxygen consumption in subjects with uncomplicated type 2 diabetes

Background

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) increases the risk of incident heart failure (HF), whose earliest fingerprint is effort intolerance (i.e. impaired peak oxygen consumption, or VO_2peak). In the uncomplicated T2D population, however, the prevalence of effort intolerance and the underpinning mechanistic bases are uncertain. Leveraging the multiparametric characterization allowed by imaging-cardiopulmonary exercise testing (iCPET), the aim of this study is to quantify effort intolerance in T2D and to dissect the associated cardiopulmonary alterations.

Methods

Eighty-eight adults with well-controlled and uncomplicated T2D and no criteria for HF underwent a maximal iCPET with speckle tracking echocardiography, vascular and endothelial function assessment, as well as a comprehensive biohumoral characterization. Effort intolerance was defined by a VO_2peak below 80% of maximal predicted oxygen uptake.

Results

Forty-eight patients (55%) had effort intolerance reaching a lower VO_2peak than T2D controls (16.5 ± 3.2 mL/min/kg, vs 21.7 ± 5.4 mL/min/kg, p < 0.0001). Despite a comparable cardiac output, patients with effort intolerance showed reduced peak peripheral oxygen extraction (11.3 ± 3.1 vs 12.7 ± 3.3 mL/dL, p = 0.002), lower VO₂/work slope (9.9 ± 1.2 vs 11.2 ± 1.4, p < 0.0001), impaired left ventricle systolic reserve (peak S’ 13.5 ± 2.8 vs 15.2 ± 3.0, p = 0.009) and global longitudinal strain (peak-rest ΔGLS 1.7 ± 1.5 vs 2.5 ± 1.8, p = 0.03) than subjects with VO_2peak above 80%. Diastolic function, vascular resistance, endothelial function, biohumoral exams, right heart and pulmonary function indices did not differ between the two groups.

Conclusions

Effort intolerance and reduced VO_2peak is a severe and highly prevalent condition in uncomplicated, otherwise asymptomatic T2D. It results from a major defect in skeletal muscle oxygen extraction coupled with a subtle myocardial systolic dysfunction.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12933-021-01314-6.

The influence of cardiac rehabilitation on heart rate variability indices in men with type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease

METHOD

The study population included 141 male CAD patients prospectively and consecutively admitted to an outpatient comprehensive CR program. Twenty-seven patients with type-2 diabetes were compared with 114 males without diabetes. The participants performed a 45-min cycle ergometer interval training alternating 4-min workload and a 2-min active restitution three times a week for 8 weeks. The training intensity was adjusted so that the patient's heart rate achieved the training heart rate calculated according to the Karvonen formula. At the baseline and after 8 weeks, all the patients underwent the HRV assessment.

RESULTS

HRV indices in the patients with diabetes were significantly lower as compared to the patients without diabetes in SDNN, TP, LF parameters, both at the baseline and after 8 weeks of CR. After 8 weeks of CR, a significant improvement of TP, SDNN, pNN50% and HF occurred in the patients without diabetes, whereas in the patients with diabetes only HF component improved significantly.

CONCLUSIONS

As regards HRV indices, CR seems to be less effective in patients with CAD and type-2 diabetes.

Cost-effectiveness of screening of coronary artery disease in patients with type 2 DIABetes at a very high cardiovascular risk (SCADIAB study) rational and design

Background

Screening for coronary artery disease (CAD) remains broadly performed in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM), although the lack of evidence. We conduct a real-world evidence (RWE) study to assess the risk of major clinical outcomes and economic impact of routine CAD screening in T2DM individuals at a very high cardiovascular risk.

Methods

SCADIAB is a comparative nationwide cohort study using data from the French National Health Data System. The main inclusion criteria are: age ≥ 40 years, DT2 diagnosed for ≥ 7 years, with ≥ 2 additional cardiovascular risk factors plus a history of microvascular or macrovascular disease, except CAD. We estimated ≥ 90,000 eligible participants for our study. Data will be extracted from 01/01/2008 to 31/12/2019. Eligible participants will be identified during a first 7-year selection period (2008–2015). Each participant will be assigned either in experimental (CAD screening procedure during the selection period) or control group (no CAD screening) on 01/01/2015, and followed for 5 years. The primary endpoint is the incremental cost per life year saved over 5 years in CAD screening group versus no CAD screening. The main secondary endpoints are: total 5-year direct costs of each strategy; incidence of major cardiovascular (acute coronary syndrome, hospitalization for heart failure, coronary revascularization or all-cause death), cerebrovascular (hospitalization for transient ischemic attack, stroke, or carotid revascularization) and lower-limb events (peripheral artery disease, ischemic diabetic foot, lower-limb revascularization or amputation); and the budget impact for the French Insurance system to promote the cost-effective strategy. Analyses will be adjusted for a high-dimension propensity score taking into account known and unknown confounders. SCADIAB has been funded by the French Ministry of Health and the protocol has been approved by the French ethic authorities. Data management and analyses will start in the second half of 2021.

Discussion

SCADIAB is a large and contemporary RWE study that will assess the economic and clinical impacts of routine CAD screening in T2DM people at a very high cardiovascular risk. It will also evaluate the clinical practice regarding CAD screening and help to make future recommendations and optimize the use of health care resources.

Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04534530 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04534530)

Evaluation of oxygen uptake adjusted by skeletal muscle mass in cardiovascular disease patients with type 2 diabetes

[Purpose] We aimed to evaluate oxygen uptake adjusted by total skeletal muscle mass in patients with cardiovascular disease with or without type 2 diabetes mellitus. [Participants and Methods] The participants included 54 males ≥50 years of age without heart failure who underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing during cardiac rehabilitation. We divided the participants into two groups: patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM group) and patients without type 2 diabetes mellitus (NDM group). [Results] We found no significant differences in age, weight, fat mass, or skeletal muscle mass between the groups. There were also no differences in cardiac function, body composition, and heart rate response. The DM group showed significantly lower peak oxygen uptake values adjusted by skeletal muscle mass, despite the absence of significant differences in skeletal muscle mass. A significant positive correlation was found between peak oxygen uptake and age, weight, and skeletal muscle mass. Stepwise regression analysis revealed that age, skeletal muscle mass, and medical history of diabetes were independent predictors of absolute peak oxygen uptake. [Conclusion] Peak oxygen uptake adjusted by skeletal muscle mass in patients with cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus is lower than that in those without type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Association between the Mediterranean lifestyle, metabolic syndrome and mortality: a whole-country cohort in Spain

Background

Evidence is limited about the joint health effects of the Mediterranean lifestyle on cardiometabolic health and mortality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of the Mediterranean lifestyle with the frequency of the metabolic syndrome (MS) and the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in Spain.

Methods

Data were taken from ENRICA study, a prospective cohort of 11,090 individuals aged 18+ years, representative of the population of Spain, who were free of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes at 2008–2010 and were followed-up to 2017. The Mediterranean lifestyle was assessed at baseline with the 27-item MEDLIFE index (with higher score representing better adherence).

Results

Compared to participants in the lowest quartile of MEDLIFE, those in the highest quartile had a multivariable-adjusted odds ratio 0.73 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.5, 0.93) for MS, 0.63. (0.51, 0.80) for abdominal obesity, and 0.76 (0.63, 0.90) for low HDL-cholesterol. Similarly, a higher MELDIFE score was associated with lower HOMA-IR and highly-sensitivity C-reactive protein (P-trend < 0.001). During a mean follow-up of 8.7 years, 330 total deaths (74 CVD deaths) were ascertained. When comparing those in highest vs. lowest quartile of MEDLIFE, the multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio (95% CI) was 0.58 (0.37, 0.90) for total mortality and 0.33 (0.11, 1.02) for cardiovascular mortality.

Conclusions

The Mediterranean lifestyle was associated with lower frequency of MS and reduced all-cause mortality in Spain. Future studies should determine if this also applies to other Mediterranean countries, and also improve cardiovascular health outside the Mediterranean basin.