Cardiovascular disease is a competing cause of death in patients with cancer with early-stage disease. This elevated cardiovascular disease risk is thought to derive from both the direct effects of cancer therapies and the accumulation of risk factors such as hypertension, weight gain, cigarette smoking, and loss of cardiorespiratory fitness. Effective and viable strategies are needed to mitigate cardiovascular disease risk in this population; a multimodal model such as cardiac rehabilitation may be a potential solution. This statement from the American Heart Association provides an overview of the existing knowledge and rationale for the use of cardiac rehabilitation to provide structured exercise and ancillary services to cancer patients and survivors. This document introduces the concept of cardio-oncology rehabilitation, which includes identification of patients with cancer at high risk for cardiac dysfunction and a description of the cardiac rehabilitation infrastructure needed to address the unique exposures and complications related to cancer care. In this statement, we also discuss the need for future research to fully implement a multimodal model of cardiac rehabilitation for patients with cancer and to determine whether reimbursement of these services is clinically warranted.

Background-Although numerous studies have reported that cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is associated with reduced mortality after myocardial infarction, less is known about its association with mortality after percutaneous coronary intervention. Methods and Results-We performed a retrospective analysis of data from a prospectively collected registry of 2395 consecutive patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention in Olmsted County, Minnesota, from 1994 to 2008. The association of CR with all-cause mortality, cardiac mortality, myocardial infarction, or revascularization was assessed with 3 statistical techniques: propensity score-matched analysis (nϭ1438), propensity score stratification (nϭ2351), and regression adjustment with propensity score in a 3-month landmark analysis (nϭ2009). During a median follow-up of 6.3 years, 503 deaths (199 cardiac), 394 myocardial infarctions, and 755 revascularization procedures occurred in the study subjects. Participation in CR, noted in 40% (964 of 2395) of the cohort, was associated with a significant decrease in all-cause mortality by all 3 statistical techniques (hazard ratio, 0.53 to 0.55; PϽ0.001). A trend toward decreased cardiac mortality was also observed in CR participants; however, no effect was observed for subsequent myocardial infarction or revascularization. The association between CR participation and reduced mortality rates was similar for men and women, for older and younger patients, and for patients undergoing elective or nonelective percutaneous coronary intervention. Conclusion-We found that CR participation after percutaneous coronary intervention was associated with a significant reduction in mortality rates. These findings add support to published clinical practice guidelines, performance measures, and insurance coverage policies that recommend CR for patients after percutaneous coronary intervention. (Circulation. 2011;123:2344-2352.)Key Words: angioplasty Ⅲ cardiac rehabilitation Ⅲ exercise Ⅲ mortality Ⅲ prevention Ⅲ stents C ardiac rehabilitation (CR) is associated with a 20% to 30% reduction in mortality in persons with coronary artery disease, particularly after myocardial infarction (MI). [1][2][3] This benefit is thought to be mediated by several factors, including the physiological benefits of exercise training, 4,5 psychological benefits of group support and counseling, 6 improved adherence to preventive therapies, 7 and improved control of cardiovascular risk factors. 4,8 Unfortunately, even with this strong evidence, only Ϸ25% of eligible patients in the United States participate in CR. 9 Clinical Perspective on p 2352More than 1 million percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures are performed in the United States annually. 10 However, very little direct evidence has been published regarding CR participation rates and the impact of CR on mortality after PCI. Even with the paucity of data, several national guidelines have recommended CR after PCI, 11 and in 2006, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services included PCI ...

Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) services improve various clinical outcomes in patients with cardiovascular disease, but such services are underutilized, particularly in women. The aim of this study was to identify evidence-based barriers and solutions for CR participation in women. A literature search was carried out using PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, OVID/Medline, and CINAHL to identify studies that have assessed barriers and/or solutions to CR participation. Titles and abstracts were screened, and then the full-text of articles that met study criteria were reviewed. We identified 24 studies that studied barriers to CR participation in women and 31 studies that assessed the impact of various interventions to improve CR referral, enrollment, and/or completion of CR in women. Patient-level barriers included lower education level, multiple comorbid conditions, non-English native language, lack of social support, and high burden of family responsibilities. We found support for the use of automatic referral and assisted enrollment to improve CR participation. A small number of studies suggest that incentive-based strategies, as well as home-based programs, may contribute to improving CR attendance and completion rates. A systematic approach to CR referral, including automatic CR referral, may help overcome barriers to CR referral in women and should be implemented in clinical practice. However, more studies are needed to help identify the best methods to improve CR attendance and completion of CR rates in women.

In patients with CAD, BMI does not discriminate between BF% and lean mass, and a BMI < 30 kg/m(2) is a poor index to diagnose obesity. These findings may explain the controversial findings that link mild elevations of BMI to better survival and fewer cardiovascular events in patients with CAD. Body composition techniques to accurately diagnose obesity in patients with CAD might be necessary.

No abstract