Effectiveness of a digital technology-assisted personalized exercise prescription in the telerehabilitation of postoperative coronary heart disease patients: A randomized controlled trial.
Yue Wu, Yan Ma, Chen Zhang and 7 others
PMID 41684613WHAT IT FOUND
Peak oxygen uptake did not improve more with the digital personalized home rehabilitation program than usual care in low-risk patients after coronary intervention.
Submaximal endurance, exercise duration, and some quality-of-life scores showed secondary benefits.
Key findings
01The primary outcome, change in peak oxygen uptake from baseline to 12 weeks, was not significantly different: 1.90 mL/kg/min in the intervention group versus 0.30 mL/kg/min in the control group (P=0.125).
02Oxygen uptake at the anaerobic threshold improved significantly in the intervention group at 12 weeks: 2.00 mL/kg/min versus -0.05 mL/kg/min in the control group (P=0.025), and the increase ratio was 13.07% versus -0.49% (P=0.035).
03Some quality-of-life dimensions favoured the intervention: general health at 4 and 12 weeks, and social functioning at 12 and 24 weeks; other dimensions did not show significant between-group differences.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was single-centre in Beijing, so its results may not transfer to other services or protocols. The analysed sample was small, and the paper reports inconsistent participant counts: 62 enrolled, 58 analysed, and 30 intervention and 28 control completed. Participants were adults aged 18-65 after percutaneous coronary intervention with low exercise risk and without several serious cardiac or other conditions, so older adults and higher-risk patients were not represented. Participants and intervention-delivering researchers were not blinded, which can affect behaviour and self-reported outcomes. The primary outcome was null; positive findings came from secondary outcomes and time-point comparisons. The intervention bundled standard care, app videos, portable ECG monitoring, individualized prescription, video guidance, heart-rate alarms, and nurse or therapist follow-up, so no single component can be credited. Dropout data were carried forward for the primary outcome, which may bias the results. Different ECG and app devices prevented linking heart-rate changes to specific movements.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the digital personalized home rehabilitation program improves peak oxygen uptake. The primary outcome was not significant. The positive results were secondary outcomes, and the intervention included standard care, app videos, portable ECG monitoring, individualized prescription, video guidance, and nurse follow-up, so no single component can be credited.