Case report:
We report the effect of a 6-week outpatient (phase II) cardiac rehabilitation in a 38-year-old man with post-stented coarctation of the aorta, moyamoya disease and hypertension. The cardiac rehabilitation programme comprised physiotherapist-guided aerobic exercises, resistance training and relaxation exercises. Clinical and functional assessment was performed before and after the cardiac rehabilitation programme.
Discussion:
There is a lack of recommendations to guide cardiac rehabilitation in patients with coarctation of the aorta. This case not only had coarctation of the aorta, but also had moyamoya disease and hypertension. A cardiac rehabilitation programme after surgery provided meaningful improvements in all outcomes, including exercise capacity, clinical outcomes, quality of life and depression symptoms. Systematic cardiac rehabilitation was found to be feasible in this patient with coarctation of the aorta, and may have the potential to benefit more patients.
Conclusion:
Cardiac rehabilitation resulted in significant clinical and functional improvements in this case with coarctation of the aorta following surgery. Guidelines should be implemented to provide safe and effective cardiac rehabilitation in such patients. Furthermore, large-scale studies are needed to evaluate the clinical benefits of structured cardiac rehabilitation in patients following cardiac surgery.