Cardiac Rehabilitation in the Elderly

Introduction: The purpose of cardiac rehabilitation is to improve the effects of aging and maintain a good quality of life for older individuals. This study aims to assess how cardiac rehabilitation affects the autonomy and quality of life of older adults. Patients and Method: This was a longitudinal, descriptive and comparative before-and-after cardiovascular rehabilitation study conducted over a two-year period from January 2019 to December 2021. This study was conducted at four cardiac rehabilitation units in Dakar: the Aristide Le Dantec Hospital (HALD), National Dalal Jamm Hospital, and the General Idrissa Pouye Hospital (HOGIP). We compared the degree of autonomy, dependence and quality of life of subjects aged over 65 before and after the cardiac rehabilitation program using the Katz index, the Lowton index and the SF12 quality-of-life questionnaire. Results: Over a two-year period, a total of 345 patients had benefited from a complete cardiovascular rehabilitation program in the four cardiovascular rehabilitation units in Dakar, and 86 patients, or 24.92% of the population, were at least 65 years old. The patients were predominantly male (sex ratio M/F = 4.73). The mean age was 70.35 ± 4.55 years for men and 69.27 ± 4.59 years for women. The main pathology motivating cardiac rehabilitation was ischemic heart disease, which was found in 73 patients (84.88%). Initial assessment revealed exertional dyspnea in 35 patients (40.69%), followed by residual exertional angina in 21 patients (4.41%). Mean functional capacity increased from 5.81 ± 2.38 Mets in pre-cardiac rehabilitation to 8.68 ± 2.28 Mets in post-cardiac rehabilitation (p < 0.001). The mean distance covered in the 6-minute walk test increased from 330.42 ± 170.50 m in pre-cardiac rehabilitation to 524 ± 98.54 m in post-cardiac rehabilitation (p = 0.119). The Lowton dependency index in pre-cardiac rehabilitation was 44.18% versus 36.04% in post-cardiac rehabilitation (p = 0.0156). The mental quality of life score was 42.15 ± 10.27 in pre-cardiac rehabilitation versus 52.94 ± 10.86 in post-cardiac rehabilitation (p < 0.001). Conclusion: This study demonstrates the effectiveness of the cardiac rehabilitation program in elderly subjects. In fact, this well-managed, well-structured and well-supervised program enables this population to