ArticlePloS one2022
The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on cardiac rehabilitation of patients following acute coronary syndrome.
Article in PloS one, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 8 citations in OpenAlex.
- Outpatients' cardiac rehabilitation: the long-term experience of the Niguarda Hospital.International journal of cardiology. Cardiovascular risk and prevention · 2026Article
- Return to work for people with chronic health conditions after medical or vocational rehabilitation during the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Exercise-Based Cardiac Rehabilitation (ECBR): New Frontiers in the Post-Novel Coronavirus.Arquivos brasileiros de cardiologia · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundCardiac rehabilitation improves prognosis and symptoms in cardiac patients. In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, cardiac rehabilitation services were temporarily suspended between April and August. We aimed to investigate the effect of cardiac rehabilitation suspension during the COVID-19 pandemic on patients' exercise capacity and metabolic parameters.
methodsIncluded were patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation following hospital admission for ACS. Exercise capacity, weight and body fat percentage were compared between baseline, pre- and post-lockdown visits.
resultsA total of 281 patients participated in the cardiac rehabilitation program prior to its suspension. Of them, only 198 (70%) patients returned to the program on its renewal and were included in the analysis. Exercise capacity improved significantly in the pre-lockdown stress test compared to baseline. However, there was a significant decrease in exercise capacity in the post compared to pre-lockdown test (8.1±6.3 and 7.1±2.1 METs in pre- and post-lockdown measurements, respectively, p<0.001). Of the 99 (50%) of patients that demonstrated at least 10% improvement in exercise capacity in the pre-lockdown test, 48(48.5%) patients returned to their baseline values in the post-lockdown test. Post-lockdown assessment demonstrated a significant weight gain (80.3 and 81.1kg, in pre- and post-lockdown measurements, respectively, p<0.001) as well as an increase in visceral fat level and body fat percentage.
conclusionsCardiac rehabilitation suspension for 4 months during COVID-19 pandemic caused a significant reduction in exercise capacity and increased weight and body fat percent. These findings highlight the importance of remote cardiac rehabilitation services that can continue uninterrupted in times of pandemic.
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Registered trials
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