[The influence of rehabilitation on peak oxygen consumption in patients after myocardial infarction treated with beta-blockers].

Unlabelled: THE PURPOSE OF THE STUDY was to verify whether rehabilitation programs improve both stress tolerance and peak oxygen consumption (pVO2) plus the consumption of oxygen at the level of anaerobe threshold (AT) in patients after myocardial infarction treated with beta-blockers. Our objective was to find out the differences in changes in the above indicators in elderly patients. THE SET of consisted of 2 groups of patients aged over 65 (56 +/- 6.1) a > or = 65 let (69 +/- 4.7). The first group contained 96 and the second group 31 patients, respectively. Prior and after the rehabilitation program, stress echocardiography (SE) and symptom-limited spiroergometric test were performed in the patients.

Results: A statistically significant improvement in stress tolerance and in the oxygen consumptions indicators was recorded in the group of younger patients (< 65 years of age), both at the peak and at the anaerobe threshold levels (p < 0.001). Patients aged 65 or older recorded a statistically significant improvement in stress tolerance (p < 0.01) on the one hand, but only minor, statistically insignificant improvement in pVO2 and AT oxygen consumption on the other.

Conclusion: A two-month rehabilitation program improves both stress tolerance and the peak oxygen consumption in patients after myocardial infarction treated with beta-blockers. The improvement is statistically insignificant in elderly patients. The above finding supports our opinion that elderly patients need long-term controlled training which should be performed at regular intervals and with the necessary intensity.