Setting

This study focuses exclusively on exercise-based CR. At the cardiac intensive care unit, key components for the physiotherapist include risk factor identification, physical activity counselling and patient referral to an early-outpatient CR programme, including exercise and interdisciplinary patient education and information. The out-patient CR programme (phase II CR) starts as soon as possible after discharge from hospital. The exercise programme is individually prescribed by physiotherapists, based on tests of physical fitness, and includes aerobic exercise at least 20 minutes, at 50-80% of VO_2max (13-17 on Borgs rate of perceived exertion scale) and muscular exercise, 8-10 upper and lower body exercises performed in 1-3 sets of 10-15 repetitions, two to three times a week for three to six months, in line with international guidelines [22]. Late-outpatient management comprising additional tests of physical fitness is offered to patients after one year. In Sweden, most health care is publicly funded. For all outpatient care, the patient pays a maximum fee of 122 EUR (133 USD) for a twelve-month period.