Long-Term Outcomes of Cardiac Rehabilitation in Diabetic and Non-diabetic Patients With Myocardial Infarction

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the long-term outcomes of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) on exercise capacity in diabetic (DM) and non-diabetic (non-DM) patients with myocardial infarction (MI). METHODS: Of the MI patients who received hospital-based CR from February 2012 to January 2014, we retrospectively reviewed the medical records of the patients who continued follow-up through the outpatient clinic and community-based self-exercise after CR. A total of 37 patients (12 with DM and 25 without DM) were included in this study. Exercise capacity was measured by symptom-limited exercise tests before and after hospital-based CR and 1 year after the onset of MI. RESULTS: Before the CR, the DM group had significantly lower exercise capacity in exercise times, peak oxygen consumption (VO(2peak)), and metabolic equivalent tasks (METs) than did the non-DM group. After the CR, both groups showed significantly improved exercise capacity, but the DM group had significantly lower exercise capacity in exercise times, submaximal rate pressure products (RPP(submax)), VO(2peak), and METs. One year after the onset of the MI, the DM group had significantly lower exercise capacity in exercise times, RPP(submax), and VO(2peak) than did the non-DM group, and neither group showed a significant difference in exercise capacity between before and after the CR. CONCLUSION: As a result of continued follow-up through an outpatient clinic and community-based self-exercise after hospital-based CR in patients with MI, the DM group still had lower exercise capacity than did the non-DM group 1 year after the onset of MI, but both groups maintained their improved exercise capacity following hospital-based CR.