Coronary disease & ACSCohort study
Associations of exercise capacity after myocardial infarction with mortality and major adverse cardiovascular events: sex-specific findings from the nationwide SWEDEHEART cohort
- Prospective cohort study
- nationwide
- registry-based
Authors' conclusion
Higher exercise capacity measured by routine clinical exercise testing was associated with lower risk of all-cause mortality and recurrent MACE, with stronger associations in women.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with myocardial infarction (MI) (2016–2020) undergoing bicycle ergometer testing before exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation, 2–8 weeks after discharge, SWEDEHEART registry78% men
- Participants
- 15,945 patients
- Exposure
- Exercise capacity, by sex
- Outcome
- All-cause mortality and MACE (MI, stroke, and CV death)
- Follow-up
- Median 3.2 (2.3-4.3) years
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
All-cause mortality and MACE per 10-Watt increase in exercise capacity, by sex
Lower hazard of death per 10-Watt increase, men (linear association)
18%
Lower hazard of death per 10-Watt increase, women (linear association)
33%
Lower MACE hazard per 10-Watt increase, men (curvilinear association)
8%
Lower MACE hazard per 10-Watt increase, women (linear association)
18%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Original publication
Associations of exercise capacity after myocardial infarction with mortality and major adverse cardiovascular events: sex-specific findings from the nationwide SWEDEHEART cohort. Eur J Prev Cardiol. Published 29 August 2026. doi:10.1093/eurjpc/zwag449
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it