Systematic review finds telerehabilitation a comparable alternative to centre-based cardiac rehabilitation after acute coronary syndrome

A systematic review in Medical Science Monitor examined 12 randomised controlled trials (1,911 participants) comparing app- or web-based telerehabilitation with conventional centre-based cardiac rehabilitation in patients after acute coronary syndrome and/or coronary revascularisation (percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass grafting) [Synthesis]. Telerehabilitation was associated with greater improvements in exercise capacity — six-minute walk distance and maximal oxygen uptake — and in adherence and selected quality-of-life and psychological outcomes. Cardiovascular risk factors, including blood pressure and lipid profile, improved in both groups with no significant difference between them.

This is a narrative systematic review rather than a pooled meta-analysis, and the authors caution that findings should be interpreted carefully given heterogeneity across the included comparator interventions.

This adds to the evidence that telerehabilitation is a viable alternative delivery model for cardiac rehabilitation after acute coronary syndrome or revascularisation, particularly where adherence and access to centre-based services are limiting factors, though trial heterogeneity means services should treat it as a credible option rather than a proven equivalent.