gms | German Medical Science

Background: Around 122,932 patients are treated in geriatric rehabilitation every year. Since around 10% of people over 70 suffer from heart disease, a large proportion of patients in geriatric rehabilitation have a primary cardiac diagnosis. However, geriatric and cardiac rehabilitation differ in their respective objectives. While cardiac rehabilitation aims to the completion of a certain training volume with adequate exercise intensity, geriatric rehabilitation is characterized by a focus on increasing the patient's mobility and everyday skills.

Aim: The aim of the study is to examine the effectiveness of geriatric rehabilitation with regard to endurance performance and functional abilities for geriatric patients with a primary cardiac diagnosis

Methods: So far, data of n=17 (80.3±5.7 years, 27.2±5.9 kg·m-², 10 male, 7 female) of the targeted N=78 patients were collected. The primary endpoint is the improvement in distance and heart rate (HR) during the 2 min walk test at the beginning and end of rehabilitation, in combination with functional parameters (Tinetti test, Timed Up and Go test) and concerns of falling. Furthermore, diagnoses, frailty (Fried phenotype) and cognitive parameters (Mini Mental State Examination; MMSE), as well as the volume and type of therapy units are recorded. The results are initially presented descriptively.

Results: The patients included so far had an MMSE of 26±2 pts and a frailty score of 2.4±1.4 pts. During rehabilitation, the concerns of falling were reduced from 9 (min-max: 7-23) to 8 (7-12) pts, the Tinetti score was increased from 21 (12-28) to 24 (14-18), the time for the TUG was reduced from 23. 3±8.8 to 17.3±6.1 s and the walking distance increased from 81.6±21.7 m to 104.8±94 m with a mean HR of 83.5±13.2 min-1 at admission and 88.5±15.2 min-1 at discharge.

Implication for research and/or (healthcare) practice: The effectiveness of geriatric rehabilitation for geriatric patients with a primary cardiac diagnosis will be evaluated as part of the studies. Subsequently, if necessary, geriatric rehabilitation will be adapted for patients with a primary cardiac diagnosis and compared with the control group shown here.