JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is effective in preventing cardiovascular diseases; however, the impact of remote CR with wearable devices and online coaching remains unclear. This study investigated the effects of interactive communication between healthcare providers and patients on exercise capacity.

Objective:

This randomised controlled trial enrolled 50 patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) in a remote CR program (phase III). After baseline cardiopulmonary exercise tests (CPETs), all patients were assigned a CPET-based home exercise program and were provided with a wearable device (Fitbit Sense) with real-time monitoring system (Recoval ©).

Methods:

The patients were randomly assigned to an intervention group with online coaching (OLC; n=25) or a control group (CON; n=25). The primary outcomes were changes in peak VO2 and anaerobic threshold (AT) VO2 at 12 weeks. The secondary outcomes were changes in CPET parameters, daily activity, anxiety levels, and health-related quality of life.

Results:

Peak VO2 and AT VO2 increased significantly from baseline to 12 weeks in the OLC (+1.6 mL/kg/min, p<0.001; +1.0 mL/kg/min, p=0.001) and CON (+0.6 mL/kg/min, p=0.008; +1.3 mL/kg/min, p=0.002) groups with no significant between-group differences (p=0.65; p=0.9). In the latter half of the intervention, the daily distance and highly active time in the OLC group were significantly increased compared with those in the CON group (all p<0.05).

Conclusions:

Exercise tolerance improves with appropriate exercise coaching and use of wearable devices in patients with CAD participating in remote CR programs. The benefits of online coaching using real-time monitoring may become more pronounced in the long term. Clinical Trial: UMIN 000047789