Changes in cardiorespiratory fitness test performance in original units and METs pre- vs post-cardiac rehabilitation (CR)
| Test* | Sample size | Pre-CR | Post-CR | Change (95% CI) | Effect size (d) | Pre (METs) | Post (METs) | Change (95% CI) | Effect size (d) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| aBruce treadmill test (s) | n=125 | 329 (132) | 451 (153) | 121 (81 to 140) | 0.85 | 6.8 (2.1) | 7.5 (2.4) | 0.76 (0.40 to 1.12) | 0.58 |
| aIncremental shuttle test (m) | n=104 | 295 (132) | 455 (190) | 160.1 (136.2 to 184.1) | 0.99 | 4.4 (0.59) | 5.1 (0.85) | 0.70 (0.58 to 0.86) | 0.96 |
| a6-min walk test (m) | n=54 | 279 (144) | 329 (148) | 50.3 (18.8 to 81.6) | 0.34 | 3.2 (0.97) | 3.6 (0.99) | 0.33 (0.13 to 0.54) | 0.34 |
| bIncremental cycle ergometry (W) | n=103 | 87.6 (19.1) | 98.5 (19.1) | 10.9 (8.6 to 12.2) | 0.57 | 5.6 (0.8) | 6.0 (0.8) | 0.40 (0.31 to 0.51) | 0.55 |
| bIncremental shuttle test (m) | n=118 | 295 (139) | 362 (155) | 67.0 (51.6 to 83.6) | 0.46 | 4.6 (0.7) | 5.0 (0.7) | 0.40 (0.30 to 0.52) | 0.57 |
| cIncremental shuttle test (m) | n=81 | 420 (157) | 503 (179) | 82.5 (53.9 to 111.3) | 0.49 | 5.2 (0.76) | 5.5 (0.84) | 0.37 (0.25 to 0.48) | 0.46 |
| dIncremental shuttle test (m) | n=365 | 341 (165) | 411 (230) | 71.5 (57.6 to 85.4) | 0.46 | 4.9 (0.83) | 5.4 (0.94) | 0.51 (0.46 to 0.56) | 0.58 |
| Pooled fixed effect model: | n=950 | 0.52 (0.51 to 0.53) | 0.59 (95%CI 0.58 to 0.60) | ||||||
*Superscripts a–d designate the four centres which participated.
Effect size (d), Cohen's d; MET, metabolic equivalent; Post-CR, exercise test at exit from phase III cardiac rehabilitation; Pre-CR, exercise test at entry to phase III cardiac rehabilitation.