Top Things to Know: Top Things to Know
Published: October 14, 2025
- Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is a proven intervention to improve cardiovascular health, offering benefits like reduced hospital readmission, lower mortality rates, and enhanced quality of life.
- Cardiac rehabilitation benefits patients from both genders, however in large retrospective cohort studies in all patients’, women participating in CR have a relatively greater mortality risk reduction compared to men.
- CR results in the improvement of cardiovascular disease risk factors such as a higher rate of tobacco cessation, lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels as well as improved fasting glucose.
- The benefits of CR in women are discussed in three broad areas in this statement; improved health status, fewer cardiovascular events and the cost savings that are associated with CR in women.
- This scientific statement discusses barriers to access for CR. Two key barriers are referral to CR and enrollment in the program.
- Another major gap addressed in this statement is CR engagement and completion of the program.
- Low CR participation rates have been attributed to several factors which include individual, interpersonal/societal, and program-related/health system factors.
- Some of the individual factors related to low participation are medical comorbid conditions, self-reported poor health status, time constraints, language barriers, and the perception of exercise as being unpleasant. Interpersonal or societal factors include work related conflicts, transportation challenges, distance to a CR facility, and limited family and social support systems.
- This scientific statement highlights special considerations in CR for women including improving cardiorespiratory fitness in women, women focused CR programs, CR after a spontaneous coronary artery dissection event, CR in ischemia with non-obstructive coronary arteries and myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries, stress-induced cardiomyopathy and issues related to breast cancer or gynecologic malignancies.
- Implementing strategies discussed in this statement regarding CR programs for women can serve women better and promote quality of life and long-term cardiovascular health.
Citation
Coutinho T, Khadanga S, Adedinsewo D, Barac A, Brown TM, Deaton C, Golbus JR, Reynolds H, Sharma G, Taylor JL; on behalf of the American Heart Association Exercise, Cardiac Rehabilitation, and Sports Cardiology Science Committee of the Council on Clinical Cardiology; the Women’s Health Science Committee of the Council on Clinical Cardiology and Stroke Council; Council on Cardiopulmonary, Critical Care, Perioperative and Resuscitation; Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing; Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health; and Council on Quality of Care and Outcomes Research. Cardiac rehabilitation in women: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation. Published online October 6, 2025. doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000001379