Effects of Cardiovascular Rehabilitation on Myocardial Perfusion and Functional Exercise Capacity in Patients With Stable Coronary Artery Disease and Myocardial Ischemia

Purpose: Myocardial ischemia is prevalent in chronic heart diseases. Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) offers non-pharmacological benefits to reduce hospitalization and mortality, yet its impact on coronary vascular changes remains unclear. We assessed the effects of CR on myocardial perfusion and exercise capacity in patients with stable coronary artery disease and exercise-induced ischemia. Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study in individuals with stable coronary artery disease and myocardial ischemia enrolled in a CR program. Inclusion criteria required a minimum of 3 months of supervised CR and cardiac single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging before and after the program. Blinded analysis and interpretation of the SPECT studies was carried out by nuclear cardiologists. The primary outcome was a change in myocardial perfusion via SPECT analysis. Secondary outcomes included changes in exercise capacity, electrocardiographic changes during treadmill stress tests, and evaluation of adverse effects during training. Cinecoronariographies reports were collected for further cardiac status assessment. Results: Of 394 patients, 22 with myocardial ischemia were analyzed (96% males, 61.5 ± 9.5 yr). Number of CR sessions ranged from 42 to 73. Stress-induced ischemia significantly decreased ( P = .019), with improvements in exercise capacity, including absolute peak oxygen uptake (mL/min, P = .027), relative oxygen uptake (mL/kg/min, P = .044), maximum metabolic equivalent of task ( P = .019), and exercise duration ( P < .001). No adverse events occurred. Conclusion: After a structured CR program of at least 3 months in patients with stable coronary artery disease and exercise-induced ischemia, there was a notable reduction in stress-induced ischemia and enhancements in exercise capacity, highlighting the safety and efficacy of CR in improving myocardial perfusion and exercise tolerance.