Cardiac rehabilitation in the Comprehensive Cardiac Care program in the time of a COVID – 19 pandemic

STAWIKOWSKI, Cezary, ZIELONKA, Bartłomiej, KOWALCZYK, Ilona, STACHYRA, Bartłomiej, WOLANIN, Marta, OSIŃSKA, Aleksandra, WOLANIN, Izabela, KRAWIEC, Paulina, MADEJ, Karolina & DENGLER, Barbara. Cardiac rehabilitation in the Comprehensive Cardiac Care program in the time of a COVID – 19 pandemic. Journal of Education, Health and Sport. 2023;32(1):101-108.eISSN 2391-8306. DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.12775/JEHS.2023.32.01.008 https://apcz.umk.pl/JEHS/article/view/43636 https://zenodo.org/record/7962119 The journal has had 40 points in Ministry of Education and Science of Poland parametric evaluation. Annex to the announcement of the Minister of Education and Science of December 21, 2021. No. 32343. Has a Journal's Unique Identifier: 201159. Scientific disciplines assigned: Physical Culture Sciences (Field of Medical sciences and health sciences); Health Sciences (Field of Medical Sciences and Health Sciences). Punkty Ministerialne z 2019 - aktualny rok 40 punktów. Załącznik do komunikatu Ministra Edukacji i Nauki z dnia 21 grudnia 2021 r. Lp. 32343. Posiada Unikatowy Identyfikator Czasopisma: 201159. Przypisane dyscypliny naukowe: Nauki o kulturze fizycznej (Dziedzina nauk medycznych i nauk o zdrowiu); Nauki o zdrowiu (Dziedzina nauk medycznych i nauk o zdrowiu). © The Authors 2023; This article is published with open access at Licensee Open Journal Systems of Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, Poland Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author (s) and source are credited. This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non commercial license Share alike. (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) which permits unrestricted, non commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited. The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper. Received: 19.04.2023. Revised: 10.05.2023. Accepted: 23.05.2023. Published: 23.05.2023. Cardiac rehabilitation in the Comprehensive Cardiac Care program in the time of a COVID – 19 pandemic Rehabilitacja Kardiologiczna w programie Koordynowanej Opieki Specjalistycznej w czasach pandemii COVID - 19 Cezary Stawikowski1, Bartłomiej Zielonka2, Ilona Kowalczyk3, Bartłomiej Stachyra4, Marta Wolanin5, Aleksandra Osińska6, Izabela Wolanin7, Paulina Krawiec8, Karolina Madej9, Barbara Dengler10 Cezary Stawikowski1 1 Wojskowy Szpital Kliniczny w Lublinie https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3026-8617 cezary.stawikowski@gmail.com Bartłomiej Zielonka2 1 Wojskowy Szpital Kliniczny w Lublinie https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7788-1342 bvrtlomiej.zi@gmail.com Ilona Kowalczyk3 Samodzielny Publiczny Szpital Kliniczny im. prof. W. Orłowskiego CMKP w Warszawie https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8669-3068 ilonaxkowalczyk@gmail.com Bartłomiej Stachyra4 1 Wojskowy Szpital Kliniczny w Lublinie https://orcid.org/0009-0009-2119-416X bartlomiejstachyra@gmail.com Marta Wolanin5 1 Wojskowy Szpital Kliniczny w Lublinie https://orcid.org/0009-0000-3988-346X marta.wolanin03@gmail.com Aleksandra Osińska6 1 Wojskowy Szpital Kliniczny w Lublinie https://orcid.org/0009-0002-0351-9724 aleksandraosinska23@gmail.com Izabela Wolanin7 1 Wojskowy Szpital Kliniczny w Lublinie https://orcid.org/0009-0001-3290-5635 izabela-wolanin@wp.pl Paulina Krawiec8 1 Wojskowy Szpital Kliniczny w Lublinie https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9527-5837 paulina.krawiec96@gmail.com Karolina Madej9 1 Wojskowy Szpital Kliniczny w Lublinie https://orcid.org/0009-0007-4571-6650 karolinamadej01@gmail.com Barbara Dengler10 1 Wojskowy Szpital Kliniczny w Lublinie https://orcid.org/0009-0001-8220-8264 barbaradengler@poczta.fm Autor korespondencyjny : Cezary Stawikowski1 1 Wojskowy Szpital Kliniczny w Lublinie https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3026-8617 cezary.stawikowski@gmail.com ABSTRACT Introduction and purpose: Cardiac rehabilitation in patients after myocardial infarction is an established form of therapy. Its main tasks in the context of the implementation of the KOS program are to improve quality of life, consolidate the effects of hospital treatment and ensure better functioning after a cardiovascular incident. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the current level of knowledge regarding cardiac rehabilitation of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Description of the state of knowledge: COVID-19 poses a significant threat to patients with cardiovascular disease. Physiotherapy in the Cardiac Rehabilitation Unit involves a step-by-step, individualized rehabilitation plan in accordance with the patient's condition. An important tool for clinical evaluation is capacity tests, the results of which provide key information for the rehabilitation team in selecting exercise intensity. These tests are performed on the first and last days of rehabilitation. In Polish conditions, the most common tests examining capacity are an exercise test on a treadmill or bicycle cycler or a 6-minute walk test. Due to the diversion of a significant number of specialists and health care teams to treat COVID - 19 patients, access to the possibility of implementing the various stages of the Coordinated Specialized Care program after myocardial infarction has been limited. Summary: Post-infection patients are often forced to live a sparing lifestyle. They show reduced exercise tolerance and easier fatigability. With these aspects in mind, improving the quality of life of patients after cardiovascular incidents in the era of the pandemic requires even greater involvement of the entire rehabilitation team. Key words: COVID-19, cardiac rehabilitation, physical therapy modalities, pandemics