The following is a summary of “Examining the effectiveness of home-based cardiac rehabilitation programs for heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction: a critical review,” published in the December 2023 issue of Cardiology by Darvishzadehdaledari et al.

Heart failure (HF) is the most common reason for hospitalization among elderly patients. Heart failure with less ejection fraction (HFrEF) is a common type of HF. Home-based cardiac rehabilitation (HBCR) is an alternative to center-based cardiac rehabilitation (CBCR) for patients who cannot attend CBCR.

Researchers performed a retrospective study investigating the adherence of HBCR studies to the core components outlined by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the British Association for Cardiac Prevention and Rehabilitation (BACPR).

They reviewed 4 databases MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, to identify RCTs  (June 2022). Commonalities between BACPR and ESC were examined, and a list of standards was developed. The RoB 2 tool was used to assess the potential for bias.

The results showed 87 papers for full-text screening with 11 studies, 6  papers exhibited a high proportion of fidelity to essential standards,  4 studies demonstrated a medium alliance, and 1 intervention showed a low alliance level.

Investigators concluded that while most studies met the ESC and BACPR standards to a moderate or high degree, there is a need for greater focus on long-term strategies and outcomes.

Source: bmccardiovascdisord.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12872-023-03640-x