Is old age a contraindication to cardiac rehabilitation after acute myocardial infarction?

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Abstract
Fifty male patients older than 65 years of age (mean 66·3) underwent a symptom-limited exercise test on an average of 34 days after acute myocardial infarction. After 4 weeks of supervised rehabilitation training and after one-year follow-up, the patients underwent controlled exercise tests. The ergometric parameters were compared with respective values in 10 healthy males (mean age 66·4, range 65–75). The rehabilitation training induced a substantial improvement in physical capacity (total work from 3149±1326 to 4791 ± 1403 kg; P−1; P < 0·05) and a decreased double product at a 75 W work load (from 22 866 ± 4005 to 20 472 ± 3982 beats min−1 mmHg; P<0·05). The recovery of physical capacity and cardiovascular tolerance in the physical exercise was nearly complete as compared with healthy subjects of the same age. During the training period one patient died from heart failure. In all the other patients the same improvement was still maintained one-year later. In conclusion, old age does not seem to be per se a contraindication to cardiac rehabilitation. Physiological beneficial effects from cardiac rehabilitation can also be received by patients older than 65 years of age.

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