Cardiac rehabilitation for heart failure: progress and gaps in evidence and policy.

Abstract

Purpose of review: This review synthesizes recent research on the efficacy, optimal design, and delivery methods of cardiac rehabilitation tailored to heart failure patients. Despite established benefits, cardiac rehabilitation referral and access disparities persist, necessitating elucidation of limitations and solutions.

Recent findings: Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation improves long-term mortality and hospitalization rates but not short-term mortality. cardiac rehabilitation further enhances quality of life and medical therapy adherence. However, cardiac rehabilitation relies on in-person delivery, presenting access barriers exacerbated during COVID-19. Significant geographic disparities exist, with analyses indicating current capacity only serves 45% of eligible US adults even if fully utilized. Referral rates also lag, disproportionately affecting women and minority groups. Research increasingly focuses on home-based and digital therapeutics modalities to expand reach, with evidence demonstrating comparable improvements across settings. Protocols and research center on heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), despite growing heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) prevalence.

Summary: Increasing referrals through standardized procedures and addressing multifactorial geographic, economic, and capacity limitations are imperative to ensure equitable cardiac rehabilitation access. Broadening HFpEF rehabilitation research and care standards also constitutes a critical practice gap requiring alignment with projected epidemiologic shifts. Advancing patient-centered, evidence-based solutions can promote rehabilitation as essential secondary prevention for wider cardiac populations.

Video abstract: http://links.lww.com/HCO/A97.