Objective: To determine if supervised training, after the completion of cardiac rehabilitation program, performed for a further two years would help maintain beneficial effects achieved during prolonged outpatient cardiac rehabilitation.
Design: Longitudinal parallel-grouped intervention study.
Subjects: Patients with coronary artery disease (n = 41, age 59.5 ± 9.3 years), who finished cardiac rehabilitation phase III in our outpatient cardiac rehabilitation facility.
Intervention: Two years of supervised exercise training consisting of endurance (either high intensity interval training or pyramid training) and resistance training sessions once a week.
Main measurement: Peak physical work capacity was assessed via an ergometry testing at the beginning and at the end of the study.
Results: Comparisons between end-of-cardiac rehabilitation and two years post cardiac rehabilitation revealed maintenance of peak physical work capacity after two years (begin vs end: 170 ± 59 W vs 167 ± 60 W; -0.5 ± 12.8%; p = 0.521). This was independent of exercise training protocols (percent change begin vs end: pyramid: 1.5 ± 11.8%; interval: -1.6 ± 13.4%; p = 0.459).
Conclusion: Improvement of physical exercise capacity gained during outpatient cardiac rehabilitation can be maintained for up to two years by once-weekly supervised exercise training. Long-term, group-based exercise programs offered at the end of cardiac rehabilitation might be an effective tool to help patients maintain their physical work capacity.
Keywords: Physical work capacity; cardiovascular risk factors; endurance training; exercise training; resistance training.