Rationale:
Improvements in lipid profile is associated with a decrease risk of cardiovascular events. Maintenance of improvements achieved in cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is crucial to long term cardiovascular risk reduction.
Objectives:
Describe and compare lipid changes achieved by participants in a CR program and to assess maintenance of lipid changes one year after completion of CR while participating in cardiovascular maintenance (CM) program.
Methodology:
Retrospective analysis was designed to assess changes in lipids and the maintenance of these changes for participants completing CR and participating in a CM program. Analysis included participants participating in CM for a minimum of 6 months after completing CR with pre and post program lipid profile and for whom a lipid profile was measured 1 year +/- 6 months after completion of CR while participating in CM. Between 1/1/01 and 12/21/03, 144 individuals met these criteria. Pre and post program and one year lipid profiles were compared using paired t-tests.
Results:
The 144 participants had statistically significant improvements in low density lipoprotein (LDL), high density lipoprotein (HDL), and triglycerides (TG) levels. Total cholesterol (TC) also declined but the decrease was not statistically significant.
There was a statistically significant increase in HDL with no significant changes in TC, LDL or TG between post CR lipids and first year CM lipids.
Conclusion:
Statistically significant changes associated with CR were maintained in patients participating in CM for TC, LDL and TG. HDL levels increased significantly in the CM program in addition to a significant increase during CR.