Medicine (Western Health) - Research Publications
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ItemPredictors of Referral to Cardiac Rehabilitation in Patients following Hospitalisation with Heart Failure: A Multivariate Regression Analysis(MDPI, 2022-03)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.
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ItemPRIME-HF: Novel Exercise for Older Patients with Heart Failure. A Pilot Randomized Controlled Study(WILEY, 2020-09)OBJECTIVES: To test the hypothesis that (1) older patients with heart failure (HF) can tolerate COMBined moderate-intensity aerobic and resistance training (COMBO), and (2) 4 weeks of Peripheral Remodeling through Intermittent Muscular Exercise (PRIME) before 4 weeks of COMBO will improve aerobic capacity and muscle strength to a greater extent than 8 weeks of COMBO. DESIGN: Prospective randomized parallel open-label blinded end point. SETTING: Single-site Australian metropolitan hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Nineteen adults (72.8 ± 8.4 years of age) with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). INTERVENTION: Participants were randomized to 4 weeks of PRIME or COMBO (phase 1). All participants subsequently completed 4 weeks of COMBO (phase 2). Sessions were twice a week for 60 minutes. PRIME is a low-mass, high-repetition regime (40% one-repetition maximum [1RM], eight strength exercises, 5 minutes each). COMBO training involved combined aerobic (40%-60% of peak aerobic capacity [VO2peak ], up to 20 minutes) and resistance training (50-70% 1RM, eight exercises, two sets of 10 repetitions). MEASUREMENTS: We measured VO2peak , VO2 at anaerobic threshold (AT), and muscle voluntary contraction (MVC). RESULTS: The PRIME group significantly increased VO2peak after 8 weeks (2.4 mL/kg/min; 95% confidence interval [CI] = .7-4.1; P = .004), whereas the COMBO group showed minimal change (.2; 95% CI -1.5 to 1.8). This produced a large between-group effect size of 1.0. VO2 at AT increased in the PRIME group (1.6 mL/kg/min; 95% CI .0-3.2) but not in the COMBO group (-1.2; 95% CI -2.9 to .4), producing a large between-group effect size. Total MVC increased significantly in both groups in comparison with baseline; however, the change was larger in the COMBO group (effect size = .6). CONCLUSION: Traditional exercise approaches (COMBO) and PRIME improved strength. Only PRIME training produced statistically and clinically significant improvements to aerobic capacity. Taken together, these findings support the hypothesis that PRIME may have potential advantages for older patients with HFrEF and could be a possible alternative exercise modality.