Effects of cardiovascular rehabilitation on functionality and safety after acute coronary syndrome: A narrative review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62827/fb.v27i7.1233Keywords:
Myocardial Infarction; Exercise Therapy; Secondary Prevention; Exercise Tolerance; Quality of Life.Abstract
Introduction: Acute coronary syndrome accounts for a substantial share of hospital admissions and cardiovascular mortality, and advances in acute care have been accompanied by reduced case fatality and a growing number of survivors at risk of recurrent events. Objective: To critically review the evidence on the effects of exercise-based cardiovascular rehabilitation after acute coronary syndrome on functional capacity, safety, and secondary prevention. Methods: Narrative, descriptive and qualitative literature review, with a search carried out between May and July 2026 and updated on 12 July 2026 in five health sciences bibliographic databases and in Google Scholar, used as a complementary search and reference-tracking engine. Controlled descriptors in Portuguese and English were combined with free terms and Boolean operators, and 26 sources were analyzed. Results: Supervised training showed a favorable safety profile in stable, risk-stratified patients and consistently improved functional capacity and quality of life. The reduction in hospitalizations and in cardiovascular mortality was probable, whereas the effect on all-cause mortality remained uncertain, resting mainly on observational studies subject to residual confounding. A relevant part of the available evidence comes from broader coronary populations rather than exclusively from patients after acute coronary syndrome. Conclusion: Rehabilitation should be routinely incorporated into care after acute coronary syndrome, with physiotherapy in a central role within a multiprofessional program, although underutilization and the scarcity of Brazilian evidence persist.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Rafael Viana dos Santos Coutinho, Vitória Fernanda Azevedo Mendes, Eduarda Evelin Machado Santos, Iasmim Amaral Camilo, Ramon Araújo Gonçalves (Autor)
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