The Combined Effects of Cardiac Rehabilitation Exercise Training and Mindfulness Care on Post-PCI Rehabilitation in Coronary Heart Disease Patients.

ABSTRACT

Objective: This study aimed to explore the effects of combining cardiac rehabilitation exercise training with mindfulness care on cardiac function, exercise capacity, and mood in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods: A total of 108 patients admitted to our hospital from January 2020 to January 2022, following PCI for CHD, were selected for this study. The participants were randomly assigned to either the control group or the observation group, with 54 patients in each group. The control group underwent standard rehabilitation exercise training, while the observation group received a combination of rehabilitation exercise training and mindfulness care. Cardiac function, exercise capacity, and psychological status were assessed and compared between the two groups before and after the intervention. Results: Post-intervention, both groups showed significant improvements in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular end-systolic volume (LVESV), and left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV) compared to pre-intervention levels, with the observation group demonstrating significantly greater improvements than the control group (P < .05). Additionally, the left ventricular end-systolic dimension (LVESD) and left ventricular end-diastolic dimension (LVEDD) decreased in both groups, with more significant reductions observed in the observation group (P < .05). Exercise capacity, as measured by the 6-minute walk distance, exercise time, and maximum exercise load, improved in both groups post-intervention, with the observation group showing greater improvements (P < .05). Psychological assessments indicated reductions in Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) scores in both groups after the intervention, with the observation group experiencing more substantial reductions (P < .05). Conclusion: Integrating mindfulness care with cardiac rehabilitation exercise training significantly improves cardiac function, enhances exercise capacity, and reduces anxiety and depression in CHD patients post-PCI. This combined approach offers a more effective rehabilitation strategy compared to exercise training alone.