Browsing by Author "Antunes, Alexandre"
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- Hybrid Cardiac Telerehabilitation After Acute Coronary Syndrome: Self-selection Predictors and OutcomesPublication . Ferreira, José Bernardo; Cabral, Margarida; Santos, Rita; Ferreira, Marta; Fonseca-Pinto, Rui; Antunes, Alexandre; Januário, FilipaAims: To evaluate the effectiveness of a hybrid cardiac telerehabilitation (HCTR) program after acute coronary syndrome (ACS) on patient quality of life (QoL) and physical activity indices throughout phases 2-3 and establish predictors for hybrid program self-selection. Methodology: This single-centre longitudinal retrospective study included patients who attended a cardiac rehabilitation program (CRP) between 2018-2021. Patients self-selected between two groups: Group 1 – conventional CRP (CCRP); Group 2 – HCTR. Baseline characteristics were registered. EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D) and International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) were applied at three times: T0 – phase 2 onset; T1 – phase 3 onset; T2 – 3 months after T1. Results: 59 patients participated (Group 1 – 27; Group 2 – 32). We found significant between-group differences regarding occupation (p=0.003). Diabetic patients were less likely to self-select into HCTR (OR=0.21; p<0.05). EQ-5D visual analogue scale and IPAQ result significantly improved between T0-T2 only for HCTR (p=0.001; p=0.021). Conclusions: HCTR was superior to CCRP on physical activity indices and QoL of ACS patients.
- Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Adherence to Exercise Prescription: The case of Cardiac Rehabilitation ProgramsPublication . Fonseca-Pinto, Rui; Ferreira, Fábio; Alves, João; Januario, Filipa; Antunes, AlexandreCardiac Rehabilitation Programs (CRPs) are an important tool of secondary prevention and their implementation within health services, despite the uneven geographical distribution, has been receiving attention from decision-makers in recent years. Adherence to the CRPs is one of the great challenges faced by the multidisciplinary team, and there are several strategies to maintain adherence, particularly in CRP-Phase III, which occurs outside the hospital environment. One of the strategies followed is the use of remote performance monitoring and recording of possible alert symptoms. With the pandemic due to COVID-19, these challenges have become even more evident as Phase II programs have been suspended, thus increasing the importance of the home-based CRPs. In this work, the results of a study aiming to understand the impact of the pandemic on adherence to the prescription of exercise and the perception of patients regarding the effects of physical activity on health conditions are shown. The results indicate that the pandemic did not have a major effect on the adherence to home-based exercises, in particular, in patients undergoing programs using a telemonitoring system. Moreover, the perception of the importance of physical activity for health and well-being was reinforced in the context of the pandemic.
- Letter to the Editor regarding “Suboptimal control of cardiovascular risk factor control in myocardial infarction survivors in a cardiac rehabilitation program”Publication . Antunes, Alexandre; Cabral, Margarida; Morais, JoãoIn this letter, we report on the experience of the Leiria Hospital Center CR unit, highlighting that in the analysis of our first patient series in which 68 patients had finished the phase II program, 66% achieved both ESC guideline LDL-C targets and 82% achieved one or other of the two targets. Nota: excerto retirado da carta ao Editor.