ArticlePilot and feasibility studies2023
A randomised controlled, feasibility study to establish the acceptability of early outpatient review and early cardiac rehabilitation compared to standard practice after cardiac surgery and viability of a future large-scale trial (FARSTER).
Article in Pilot and feasibility studies, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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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.
The trial behind it
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, 11 citations in OpenAlex.
- Social Inequality in the Comprehensive Cardiac Rehabilitation Pathway: A Nationwide Cohort Study Across Hospitals and Primary Health Care Centers.Journal of cardiopulmonary rehabilitation and prevention · 2026Article
- Digital health to strengthen pediatric surgical referral and follow-up in Low-resource settings: progress, gaps, and future directions.Frontiers in surgery · 2026Review
- Feasibility of early digital health rehabilitation after cardiac surgery in the elderly: a qualitative study.BMC health services research · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
13 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveTo determine the acceptability and feasibility of delivering early outpatient review following cardiac surgery and early cardiac rehabilitation (CR), compared to standard practice to establish if a future large-scale trial is achievable.
methodsA randomised controlled, feasibility trial with embedded health economic evaluation and qualitative interviews, recruited patients aged 18-80 years from two UK cardiac centres who had undergone elective or urgent cardiac surgery via a median sternotomy. Eligible, consenting participants were randomised 1:1 by a remote, centralised randomisation service to postoperative outpatient review 6 weeks after hospital discharge, followed by CR commencement from 8 weeks (control), or postoperative outpatient review 3 weeks after hospital discharge, followed by commencement of CR from 4 weeks (intervention). The primary outcome measures related to trial feasibility including recruitment, retention, CR adherence, and acceptability to participants/staff. Secondary outcome measures included health-rated quality of life using EQ-5D-5L, NHS resource-use, Incremental Shuttle Walk Test (ISWT) distance, 30- and 90-day mortality, surgical site complications and hospital readmission rates.
resultsFifty participants were randomised (25 per group) and 92% declared fit for CR. Participant retention at final follow-up was 74%; completion rates for outcome data time points ranged from 28 to 92% for ISWT and 68 to 94% for follow-up questionnaires. At each time point, the mean ISWT distance walked was greater in the intervention group compared to the control. Mean utility scores increased from baseline to final follow-up by 0.202 for the intervention (0.188 control). Total costs were £1519 for the intervention (£2043 control). Fifteen participants and a research nurse were interviewed. Many control participants felt their outpatient review and CR could have happened sooner; intervention participants felt the timing was right. The research nurse found obtaining consent for willing patients challenging due to discharge timings.
conclusionRecruitment and retention rates showed that it would be feasible to undertake a full-scale trial subject to some modifications to maximise recruitment. Lower than expected recruitment and issues with one of the clinical tests were limitations of the study. Most study procedures proved feasible and acceptable to participants, and professionals delivering early CR.
trial registrationISRCTN80441309 (prospectively registered on 24/01/2019).
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.