Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute (Miller Family) Outcomes

The metabolic equivalent of task (MET) is the ratio of the working metabolic rate to the resting metabolic rate. It has been noted in publications that for patients with stable coronary heart disease each 1-MET increase in functional capacity reduces the risk of mortality by 8% to 35%. An exercise stress test was used to measure improvement in METs.

The median systolic blood pressure for patients entering cardiac rehabilitation was already well controlled. After completing the program, there was no significant change. 81.1% of cardiac rehab graduates achieved a blood pressure of <130/<80 mmHG.

The median change in weight for patients who completed the cardiac rehabilitation program in 2022 was +0.5 pounds from program entry to exit.

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All patients entering cardiac rehabilitation are screened for symptoms of depression. The median Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scores for patients who exhibit minor depression symptoms or greater (PHQ-9 score of 10 or greater; the PHQ-9 is a multipurpose instrument for screening, diagnosing, monitoring, and measuring the severity of depression) at entry to cardiac rehabilitation show a decrease in symptoms by at least 1 category of severity.

PHQ-9 thresholds

• 5–9 Minimal symptoms
• 10–14 Minor depression
• 15–19 Major depression, moderately severe
• 20 Major depression, severe