Physical activity is the name of the game at the cardiac rehabilitation facility at the Patrick Gym. This is the "battlefield" where Dr. Phil Ades, professor of medicine and director of cardiac rehabilitation, and his staff lead the struggle against the physical and psychological effects of coronary heart disease. Its also where a group of study participants have proven time and again the positive effects of cardiac rehabilitation exercise.
Ades research over the past 17 years has earned him enormous respect in the field of cardiac rehabilitation. A Medical Progress Review Article he wrote was published in the Sept. 20 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, and he recently received the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitations first annual Pollack-Established Investigator Award.
"Im proud that our work has been recognized, and we will continue to invest great efforts in helping cardiac patients find renewed health and an improved quality of life through exercise, diet and behavior modification," Ades says.
Cardiac rehabilitation helps patients not only prevent disability related to heart disease, he says, but also prevents second coronary events by helping to lower cholesterol, reduce weight and aid blood pressure and diabetes control.
Currently, Ades and his team are finishing a major, four-year study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, that looks at the value of strength training in women over age 65. The group includes women whose ability to complete simple daily tasks, such as carrying groceries, cooking and doing laundry, is greatly diminished due to cardiac disability.
The study is randomized, which means that some participants perform strength-training exercises and some do not. A group of participants work out with light hand weights and nautilus/universal gym equipment at low settings for a period of six months. In order to gauge the impact of the exercises, the study team measures participants level of function while performing such tasks as climbing onto a bus with a suitcase, navigating a walking course while carrying groceries and making a bed. To measure mental depression, participants fill out a self-reporting questionnaire.
"The most powerful predictors of physical function are aerobic fitness and mental depression," Ades says.
Preliminary results show that cardiac patients can accomplish a structured resistance-training program safely and — as a result — increase strength and improve balance, coordination and their ability to perform daily activities that require strength and coordination.
When this study closes early next year, the Patrick Gym facility will not grow quiet. With three-quarters of all cardiac rehabilitation patients reportedly overweight, Ades and his team also are beginning research on the value of daily long-distance walking and behavioral weight loss programs.
[ Comment, Edit or Article Submission ]
