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Motivation is an important factor in encouraging individuals to attend rehabilitation and underpins many approaches to engagement. The aims of this study were to develop an accurate model able to predict individual intention to engage in outpatient cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs based on the first stage of the Model of Therapeutic Engagement integrated into a socio-environmental context. The cross-sectional study in the cardiology ward of an Australian hospital included a total of 217 individuals referred to outpatient CR. Through an ordinal logistic regression, the effect of random forest (RF)-selected profile features on individual intention to engage in outpatient CR was explored. The RF based on the conditional inference trees predicted the intention to engage in outpatient CR with high accuracy. The findings highlighted the significant roles of individuals' 'willingness to consider the treatment', 'perceived self-efficacy' and 'perceived need for rehabilitation' in their intention, while the involvement of 'barriers to engagement' and 'demographic and medical factors' was not evident., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Few studies have measured device-based physical activity and sedentary behaviour following a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), with no studies comparing these behaviours between countries using the same methods. The aim of the study was to compare device-based physical activity and sedentary behaviour, using a harmonised approach, following a PCI on-entry into centre-based cardiac rehabilitation in two countries. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at two outpatient cardiac rehabilitation centres in Australia and Sweden. Participants were adults following a PCI and commencing cardiac rehabilitation (Australia n = 50, Sweden n = 133). Prior to discharge from hospital, Australian participants received brief physical activity advice (< 5 mins), while Swedish participants received physical activity counselling for 30 min. A triaxial accelerometer (Actigraph GT3X/ActiSleep) was used to objectively assess physical activity (light (LPA), moderate-to-vigorous (MVPA)) and sedentary behaviour. Outcomes included daily minutes of physical activity and sedentary behaviour, and the proportion and distribution of time spent in each behaviour. Results: There was no difference in age, gender or relationship status between countries. Swedish (S) participants commenced cardiac rehabilitation later than Australian (A) participants (days post-PCI A 16 vs S 22, p < 0.001). Proportionally, Swedish participants were significantly more physically active and less sedentary than Australian participants (LPA A 27% vs S 30%, p < 0.05; MVPA A 5% vs S 7%, p < 0.01; sedentary behaviour A 68% vs S 63%, p < 0.001). When adjusting for wear-time, Australian participants were doing less MVPA minutes (A 42 vs S 64, p < 0.001) and more sedentary behaviour minutes (A 573 vs S 571, p < 0.001) per day. Both Swedish and Australian participants spent a large part of the day sedentary, accumulating 9.5 h per day in sedentary behaviour. Conclusion: Swedish PCI participants when commencing cardiac rehabilitation are more physically active than Australian participants. Potential explanatory factors are differences in post-PCI in-hospital physical activity education between countries and pre-existing physical activity levels. Despite this, sedentary behaviour is high in both countries. Internationally, interventions to address sedentary behaviour are indicated post-PCI, in both the acute setting and cardiac rehabilitation, in addition to traditional physical activity and cardiac rehabilitation recommendations. Trial registrations: Australia: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR): ACTRN12615000995572. Registered 22 September 2015, Sweden: World Health Organization Trial Registration Data Set: NCT02895451. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To review the literature on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) outcomes for exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (EBCR) in contemporary acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients.Methods: Electronic databases (CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, and CINAHL) were searched from January 2000 to March 2019 for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing EBCR to a no-exercise control in ACS patients recruited after year 2000, follow-up of at least 6 months, and HRQoL as outcome. Potential papers were independently screened by two reviewers. Risks of bias were assessed using the Cochrane Tool. Data analyses were performed using RevMan v5.3, random effects model.Results: Fourteen RCTs (1739 participants) were included, with eight studies suitable for meta-analyses. EBCR resulted in statistically significant and clinically important improvements in physical performance (mean difference [MD] 7.09, 95% CI 0.08, 14.11) and general health (MD 5.08, 95% CI 1.03, 9.13) (SF-36) at 6 months, and in physical functioning (MD 9.82, 95% CI 1.46, 18.19) at 12 months. Statistically significant and sustained improvements were also found in social and physical functioning. Meta-analysis of two studies using the MacNew Heart Disease HRQoL instrument did not show any significant benefits. Of the six studies unsuitable for meta-analyses, five reported significant changes in overall HRQoL, general physical activity levels and functional capacity, or quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs).Conclusions: In an era where adherence to clinical practice guidelines has improved survival, EBCR still achieves clinically meaningful improvements in physical performance, general health, and physical functioning in the short and long term in contemporary ACS patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ageing populations and increasing survival following acute coronary syndrome has resulted in large numbers of people living with cardiovascular disease and at high risk of hospitalizations. Rising hospital admissions have a significant financial cost to the healthcare system. Aim: The purpose of this study was to determine whether cardiac rehabilitation is protective against long-term hospital readmission (frequency and length) following acute coronary syndrome. Methods: Data from 416 Australian patients with acute coronary syndrome enrolled in the Anxiety Depression and heart rate Variability in cardiac patients: Evaluating the impact of Negative emotions on functioning after Twenty four months (ADVENT) prospective cohort study between January 2013–June 2014 was analyzed secondarily. Participants self-reported cardiac rehabilitation attendance over the 12 months post-discharge. All-cause readmission data were extracted from hospital records 24 months post-index event. The association between cardiac rehabilitation and all-cause readmission, frequency of readmissions, and length of stay was assessed using three methods (a) regression analysis, (b) propensity score matching, and (c) inverse probability treatment weighting. Results: Overall, 416 patients consented (53% of eligible patients), of which 414 (99.5%) survived the first 30 days post-discharge and were included in the analysis. Medical records were located for 409 participants after 24 months (98% follow-up rate). In total, 267 (65%) reported attending cardiac rehabilitation; there were 392 readmissions by 239 patients. Cardiac rehabilitation attendance was not associated with all-cause hospital readmission; however, it was associated with lower frequency of hospital admissions (odds ratio 0.53, 95% confidence interval: 0.31–0.91 p-value:0.022) and length of stay (coefficient –1.21 days, 95% confidence interval: –2.46–0.26; marginally significant p-value: 0.055) in adjusted models. Conclusion: This study substantiates the long-term benefits of cardiac rehabilitation on readmissions, including length of stay, which would result in lower costs to the healthcare system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Most patients are recommended secondary prevention pharmacotherapies following an acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Aim: To identify predictors of adherence at 6 months and strategies to improve adherence to these therapies. Methods: Patients in the CONCORDANCE registry who were discharged on evidence‐based medications were stratified into those receiving ≥75% (‘adherent’) or <75% (‘non‐adherent’) of indicated medications at 6 months. Baseline characteristics, hospital and post‐discharge care were compared between groups. Multivariable logistic analysis identified independent predictors of adherence. The relative contribution of each clinical or treatment factor to ‘adherence’ was determined using an adequacy measure method. Results: Follow‐up data were available for 6595 patients, 4492 (68.1%) of whom were ‘adherent’. Clinical factors predictive of adherence included previous stroke, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and hypertension (odds ratios (OR) 1.36–1.56); factors predictive of non‐adherence included discharge diagnosis of non–ST‐segment elevation myocardial infarction (vs unstable angina) (OR 0.51) and atrial fibrillation (OR 0.59). Discharge on ≥75% of indicated medications was a strong predictor of adherence at 6 months (OR 10.23, 95% confidence interval 7.89−13.27); in‐hospital management factors predicting non‐adherence were medical management alone (OR 0.34) and coronary artery bypass graft (OR 0.50) (both vs PCI). Post‐discharge predictors of adherence included cardiac rehabilitation (OR 1.36) and general practitioner attendance (OR 1.40). Conclusion: Failure to discharge patients on indicated therapies is the most important modifiable predictor of adherence failure 6 months after an ACS. Implementing protocols to automate prescription of indicated discharge therapies, has the potential to reduce non‐adherence dramatically in the 6 months following discharge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The benefits of physical activity and cardiovascular rehabilitation on the reduction of cardiovascular risk are well documented. Despite this, significant barriers and challenges remain in optimizing patient risk factors post acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and ensuring patient compliance. Consumer wearable personal activity trackers represent a cost effective and readily available technology that may aid in this endeavour.Methods: UP-STEP ACS is a prospective single-blinded, two-arm, parallel, randomized control trial with an aim to enrol 200 patients all undertaking cardiac rehabilitation. It will assess the affect that personal activity monitors have on change in exercise capacity in patients post acute coronary syndromes primarily measured by a six-minute walk test (6MWT). Secondary end points will be the improvement in other cardiovascular risk factors, namely; blood lipid and glucose levels, weight, waist circumference, along with mood, quality of life and cardiac rehabilitation adherence. Patients will be randomized to either receive a personal activity tracker or standard post hospital care during their index event. After the 8- week intervention period, patients will return for a clinical review and repeat of baseline assessments including the 6MWT.Discussion: The utility and impact on exercise capacity of personal activity trackers in patient's post-acute coronary syndrome has not been assessed. This study aims to add to the scientific evidence emerging regarding the clinical utility and validity of these devices in different patient population groups. If proven to be of benefit, these devices represent a cost effective, easily accessible technology that could aid in the reduction of cardiovascular events.Trial Registration: The trial has been registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR). The registration number is ACTRN12617000312347 (28/02/2017). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: While the clinical benefits of exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation are well established, there is extensive variation in the interventions used within these trials. It is unknown whether variations in individual components of these exercise interventions provide different relative contributions to overall clinical outcomes. This study aims to systematically examine the relationship between individual components of the exercise intervention in cardiac rehabilitation (such as intensity and frequency) and clinical outcomes for people with coronary heart disease. Methods: In this systematic review, eligible trials were identified via searches of databases (PubMed, Allied and Complementary Medicine, EMBASE, PEDro, Science Citation Index Expanded, CINAHL, The Cochrane Library, SPORTDiscus) from citation tracking and hand-searching. Studies were included if they were randomised trials of a structured exercise intervention (versus usual care) for participants with coronary heart disease and reported at least one of cardiovascular mortality, total mortality, myocardial infarction or revascularisation outcomes. Each included trial was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool. Authors were also contacted for missing intervention details or data. Random effects meta-analysis was performed to calculate a summary risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) for the effect of exercise on outcomes. Random effects meta-regression and subgroup analyses were conducted to examine the association between pre-specified co-variates (exercise components or trial characteristics) and each clinical outcome. Results: Sixty-nine trials were included, evaluating 72 interventions which differed markedly in terms of exercise components. Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation was effective in reducing cardiovascular mortality (RR 0.74, 95% CI 0.65 to 0.86), total mortality (RR 0.90, 95% CI 0.83 to 0.99) and myocardial infarction (RR 0.80, 95% CI 0.70 to 0.92). This effect generally demonstrated no significant differences across subgroups of patients who received various types of usual care, more or less than 150 min of exercise per week and of differing cardiac aetiologies. There was however some heterogeneity observed in the efficacy of cardiac rehabilitation in reducing total mortality based on the presence of lipid lowering therapy ( I = 48%, p = 0.15 for subgroup treatment interaction effect). No single exercise component was identified through meta-regression as a significant predictor of mortality outcomes, although reductions in both total (RR 0.81, p = 0.042) and cardiovascular mortality (RR 0.72, p = 0.045) were observed in trials which reported high levels of participant exercise adherence, versus those which reported lower levels. A dose-response relationship was found between an increasing exercise session time and increasing risk of myocardial infarction (RR 1.01, p = 0.011) and the highest intensity of exercise prescribed and an increasing risk of percutaneous coronary intervention (RR 1.05, p = 0.047). Conclusions: Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation is effective at reducing important clinical outcomes in patients with coronary heart disease. While our analysis was constrained by the quality of included trials and missing information about intervention components, there appears to be little differential effect of variations in exercise intervention, particularly on mortality outcomes. Given the observed effect between higher adherence and improved outcomes, it may be more important to provide exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation programs which focus on achieving increased adherence to the exercise intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This exploratory observational case–control study investigated the rate of referral to cardiac rehabilitation (CR) among patients hospitalised with heart failure (HF) and identified factors associated with referral. Methods: Patients hospitalised with HF as identified by the Victorian Cardiac Outcomes Registry HF study were included. Factors found to be univariately associated with referral were selected for multivariate logistic regression. Results: Among 1281 patients (mean age: 76.9 years; 32.8% HFrEF and 33.9% HfpEF), 125 (9.8%) were referred to CR. Patients referred were younger (73.6 (2.7, 81.5) vs. 80.2 (71.1, 86.5) p < 0.001) and were more likely to be men (72%, p < 0.001). Factors associated with referral included inpatient percutaneous coronary intervention (OR, 3.31; 95% CI, 1.04–10.48; p = 0.04), an aetiology of ischaemic or rhythm-related cardiomyopathy, and anticoagulants prescribed on discharge. Factors that lowered the likelihood of referral included older age, female, receiving inpatient oxygen therapy, and the presence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or anaemia. Conclusions: The rate of referral to CR following hospitalisation with HF is low. Shortfalls are particularly evident among females, older patients, and in those with COPD or anaemia. Future studies should focus on improving referral processes and translating proven strategies that increase referrals to CR into practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the study on acute coronary syndrome registries in Australia with regards to the transition to primary care from hospitals. These registries are the Cooperative National Registry of Acute Coronary Care, Guideline Adherence and Clinical Events, SNAPSHOT ACS, and Acute Coronary Syndrome Prospective Audit registry. The registries revealed under-referral to cardiac rehabilitation, medication prescription gaps, and limited lifestyle changes after hospital discharge.