Cardiac Rehabilitation in German Speaking Countries of Europe-Evidence-Based Guidelines from Germany, Austria and Switzerland LLKardReha-DACH-Part 1.

Background: Although cardiovascular rehabilitation (CR) is well accepted in general, CR-attendance and delivery still considerably vary between the European countries. Moreover, clinical and prognostic effects of CR are not well established for a variety of cardiovascular diseases.

Methods: The guidelines address all aspects of CR including indications, contents and delivery.

[Rehab Aftercare 'New Credo' in the Cardiac Follow-Up Rehabilitation].

Purpose: Physical inactivity is considered the most important modifiable risk factor of cardio-vascular diseases. Therefore medical rehabilitation is focused on the improvement of physical activity. To maintain physical activity after rehabilitation aftercare strategies are necessary which help to transfer the skills learned during rehabilitation into daily routine.

Inpatient rehabilitation for adult patients with Marfan syndrome: an observational pilot study.

Background: Advances in medical, interventional and surgical treatment have increased average life expectancy of patients with congenital heart defects. As a result a new group of adult patients with congenital cardiac defects requires medical rehabilitation. Patients with Marfan syndrome (MFS) are a relevant group among these patients.

A web-based peer-modeling intervention aimed at lifestyle changes in patients with coronary heart disease and chronic back pain: sequential controlled trial.

Background: Traditional secondary prevention programs often fail to produce sustainable behavioral changes in everyday life. Peer-modeling interventions and integration of peer experiences in health education are a promising way to improve long-term effects in behavior modification. However, effects of peer support modeling on behavioral change have not been evaluated yet.

Outcomes of cardiac rehabilitation with versus without a follow-up intervention rendered by telephone (Luebeck follow-up trial): overall and gender-specific effects.

The effects of a nurse-managed secondary prevention program for patients after acute cardiac events were examined. Special interest was given to gender-specific results. The design was a prospective, randomized, controlled trial involving 343 patients following 3 weeks of inpatient cardiac rehabilitation, randomly assigned to either of two study groups.