The evaluation of physical efficiency with patients in cardiological rehabilitation on an outpatient basis performed with an objective and subjective manner

Elżbieta Domka-Jopek
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Andrzej Kwolek
Andrzej Jopek
Institute of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Rzeszów, Rzeszów, Poland
Institute of Physiotherapy of University of Rzeszów, Poland
Szpital Powiatowy w Leżajsku, Leżajsk, Polska

Abstract

Introduction: In the treatment of heart infarctions, a key role is played by the PCI – percutaneous coronary intervention. These interventions need to be assisted with pharmacological treatment and cardiological rehabilitation. In order to plan and carry out such a rehabilitation in a safe manner, the physical efficiency of the patients with myocardial infarction need to be performed. Purpose: The comparison of the objective and subjective methods of evaluation of physical efficiency with patients undergoing cardiological rehabilitation within the treatment of the myocardial infarction.

Methods: The study comprised 40 subjects who had undergone the procedure of percutaneous coronary angioplasty within the treatment of myocardial infarction and who took part in cardiological rehabilitation. The rehabilitation programme consisted of 24 sixty-minute sessions with the use of ergometric training. The physical efficiency was evaluated with the use of the measurement of well-tolerated load (the score of 11–12 on the Borg scale) during the training and the results of the effort stress test performed before the rehabilitation and after its completion.

Results: Physical efficiency increases during the rehabilitation of the patients undergoing outpatient cardiological rehabilitation after myocardial infarction. This is illustrated by the results of an effort stress test (an increase of the sub-maximal load) and the evaluation of the tolerance of the effort (an increase of the effort inducing light exertion, 11–12 points on the Borg scale). There are, however, some differences in the evaluation of physical efficiency. The degree of the improvement of physical efficiency as observed with an effort stress test does not correlate with the size of the improvement of the physical efficiency shown with the use of the subjective method (Borg scale).

Conclusions: The objective and subjective scale of the measurement of physical efficiency, independently from each other, point to the efficacy of an outpatient cardiological rehabilitation of the patient with a history of myocardial infarction. The use of the subjective scale in the evaluation of physical efficiency of the patients with a history of myocardial infarction requires some period of patient adaptation to an increased load with physical effort.

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