Physical Exercise and Telephone Follow-up Mediated by Telerehabilitation

Physical Exercise and Telephone Follow-up Mediated by Cardiac Telerehabilitation in Patients With Heart Failure

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death and disability globally, accounting for approximately 31% (17.9 million) of all deaths each year. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the total suspension of most cardiac rehabilitation programs at the highest peaks of the spread, forcing people not to leave home, enhancing metabolic conditions and generating further complications due to sedentary lifestyle. Physical exercise is an essential component in the rehabilitation of patients with heart failure disease, evidencing improvements in quality of life, functional capacity, in addition to reducing the mortality rate, number of rehospitalizations, and levels of depression. It is necessary to carry out interventions adapted to the needs of patients who have difficulties traveling to health centers, however, some authors report that remotely oriented exercise could present results similar to those of traditional rehabilitation in a center or Therefore, promoting a cardiac telerehabilitation program together with telephone educational follow-up could cause greater improvements compared to other cardiac rehabilitation and telerehabilitation programs.

Objective: To determine the effects of a physical exercise program and telephone educational follow-up mediated by cardiac telerehabilitation in patients with heart failure on functional capacity, depression, and health-related quality of life.

A randomized controlled clinical trial type study will be carried out, in a period of 6 months between the year 2022, in patients with a diagnosis of heart failure who enter a cardiac rehabilitation program in the city of Santiago de Cali, Colombia, linking to the research after the consultation with cardiology in three groups: physical exercise program and conventional educational component with telephone follow-up (Intervention), physical exercise program and conventional educational component mediated by cardiac telerehabilitation, to which measurements of sociodemographic variables and clinical before-after measurements (physiological, paraclinical, anthropometric) functional capacity, quality of life and state of depression.

Inclusion Criteria:

• patients previously diagnosed by a Cardiology Specialist with heart failure.
• Patients who present an indication to exercise.
• Patients who have digital equipment such as a computer, tablet or cell phone with access to virtual platforms to carry out exercise sessions mediated by technology.
• Participants who accept and sign the informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients with respiratory comorbidity or who present some limitation to perform active and resisted movements (recent fractures, recent hemodynamic alterations, coronary disease event after the diagnosis of cardiovascular disease, infectious diseases and neuromuscular limitation).