Effectiveness of Cardiac Telerehabilitation After Aortic Valve Replacement on Physical Performance: A Systematic Review

Background: Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) advantages are widely known. For patients recuperating from major heart procedures like AVR, exercise-based rehabilitation enhances cardiovascular endurance, muscle strength, and general physical fitness.
Objective: This systematic review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of cardiac telerehabilitation (CTR) in enhancing physical performance after AVR.
Methods: A systematic review was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Six electronic databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane, VHL, and PEDro, were searched for studies published from 2010 to 2024. The inclusion criteria focused on clinical trials involving post-AVR patients and comparing the effects of CTR with traditional or no rehabilitation. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed using the modified Downs and Black checklist, and meta-analyses were performed where applicable.
Results: The review included 6 studies that demonstrated significant improvements in physical function, exercise capacity (i.e., six-minute walk test and VO2 peak), The pooled standardized mean difference (SMD) for all studies was 0.79 (95% CI: 0.26 to 1.33), indicatinga statistically significant overall effect in favor of cardiac telerehabilitation, with a moderate improvement in gait speed compared to the control group < /strong>. The test for overall effect returned Z = 2.89 (P = 0.004), confirming statistical significance at the 0.05 level.
Conclusion: Cardiac telerehabilitation is an effective alternative to traditional rehabilitation for patients recovering from AVR, offering comparable improvements in physical performance.