Cardiac rehabilitation for patients with obesity: lessons learned from the OPTICARE XL trial.

Obesity is a known and commonly encountered risk factor for the development of cardiac diseases. Patients with cardiac diseases who also have obesity do not benefit optimally from standard cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs. Exercises performed during CR are not the best fit for patients with obesity and counselling sessions often do not address their specific needs.

Physical activity and sedentary behaviour changes during and after cardiac rehabilitation: Can patients be clustered?

Objective: To identify clusters of patients according to changes in their physical behaviour during and after cardiac rehabilitation, and to predict cluster membership.

Methods: The study included 533 patients (mean age 57.9 years; 18.

Effects of a Dedicated Cardiac Rehabilitation Program for Patients With Obesity on Body Weight, Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, and Physical Fitness: The OPTICARE XL Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: Previously published results of the OPTICARE XL open label randomized controlled trial showed no added value of OPTICARE XL CR, a dedicated cardiac rehabilitation (CR) program for patients with obesity, with respect to health-related quality of life (primary outcome). This clinical trial studied the effects of OPTICARE XL CR on several secondary outcomes, which included body weight, physical activity, sedentary behavior, and physical fitness.

Methods: Patients with coronary artery disease or atrial fibrillation and body mass index ≥ 30 were randomized to OPTICARE XL CR (n = 102) or standard CR (n = 99).

Echocardiographic follow-up after cardiac rehabilitation designed for patients with obesity.

We hypothesize that a novel tailor-made cardiac rehabilitation (CR) program for obesity patients (OPTICARE XL) has better outcomes as compared to usual CR regarding parameters of cardiac function as measured by conventional and advanced transthoracic echocardiography. This is an open-label, randomized controlled trial. Inclusion criteria were: patients referred to CR with a body mass index (BMI) ≥30 kg/m2, and age ≥18 years with either coronary artery disease or nonvalvular atrial fibrillation.

Assessing Changes in Fear of Movement in Patients attending Cardiac Rehabilitation: Responsiveness of the TSK-NL Heart Questionnaire.

Objectives: The primary objective was to determine the responsiveness of the Dutch version of the 13-item Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia for cardiac patients (TSK-NL Heart). The secondary objective was to assess changes in kinesiophobia during cardiac rehabilitation.

Methods: Kinesiophobia was measured pre- and post-cardiac rehabilitation using the TSK-NL Heart questionnaire in 109 cardiac patients (61 years; 76% men).

Cardiac rehabilitation designed for patients with obesity: OPTICARE XL RCT results on health-related quality of life and psychosocial well-being.

We studied the effectiveness of a new cardiac rehabilitation (CR) program developed for patients with obesity compared with standard CR on HRQOL and psychosocial well-being. OPTICARE XL was a multicentre RCT in patients with cardiac disease and obesity (Netherlands Trial Register: NL5589). Patients were randomized to OPTICARE XL CR ( = 102) or standard CR ( = 99).

Heart failure and promotion of physical activity before and after cardiac rehabilitation (HF-aPProACH): a study protocol.

Aims: Lifestyle changes, such as increasing physical activity (PA), are a cornerstone of treatment of patients with chronic heart failure (HF). However, improving PA in HF patients is challenging, and low participation rates for cardiac rehabilitation (CR) as well as relapse to low PA levels after CR are major issues. We designed a randomized controlled trial to investigate if PA monitoring with motivational feedback before and after centre-based CR in HF patients with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) will lead to a clinically meaningful increase in physical fitness.

Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior in Cardiac Rehabilitation: Does Body Mass Index Matter?

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between body mass index (BMI) class and physical activity and sedentary behavior in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) during cardiac rehabilitation (CR).

Methods: This study was a secondary analysis of the OPTICARE trial. Physical activity and sedentary behavior were measured in participants with ACS (n = 359) using actigraphy at baseline, directly after completion of a multidisciplinary 12-week exercise-based CR program and 9 months thereafter.

Health-related quality of life and cardiac rehabilitation: Does body mass index matter?

Objective: To investigate the relation between body mass index class and changes in health-related quality of life in patients participating in cardiac rehabilitation.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Patients: A total of 503 patients with acute coronary syndrome.

Fear of movement in patients attending cardiac rehabilitation: A validation study.

Objectives: To determine the psychometric properties of a questionnaire to assess fear of movement (kinesiophobia): the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK-NL Heart), and to investigate the prevalence of kinesiophobia in patients attending cardiac rehabilitation.

Methods: A total of 152 patients were evaluated with the TSK-NL Heart during intake and 7 days later. Internal consistency, test-retest reliability and construct validity were assessed.

Association Between Exercise Capacity and Health-Related Quality of Life During and After Cardiac Rehabilitation in Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients: A Substudy of the OPTICARE Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: To examine the strength of the association between exercise capacity and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) during and after cardiac rehabilitation (CR) in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) who completed CR.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting: Outpatient CR center.