Heart failure & cardiomyopathies
Bridging the post-hospitalization gap: a feasibility study of home-based rehabilitation in decompensated heart failure
Authors' conclusion
Home-based rehabilitation is feasible leading to clinically meaningful improvements in physical function and QoL in pre-frail and frail heart failure patients, particularly those with LVEF. The results support further evaluation in a larger randomized trial.
Study context
- Population
- Pre-frail and frail patients recently hospitalized for acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF)enrolled between March, 2024 and January, 2025, 24 patients (80%) completed the programme
- Participants
- 30 participants
- Exposure
- Baseline vs after 12 weeks of intervention
- Home-based rehabilitationn = 30
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
6MWT distance · 12 weeks
- Improved significantly
- P < 0.001
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | Values |
|---|---|
| TUG in patients with LVEF <50% · 12 weeks | Baseline 12.1 ± 5.0 s · 12 weeks 9.7 ± 4.9 s |
| QoL (KCCQ) · 12 weeks | Baseline 56 ± 16 · 12 weeks 75 ± 19 |
- TUG in patients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) <50% — TUG improved only in patients with LVEF <50%
- P = .04
- Quality of life (QoL) (KCCQ) — QoL improved significantly
- P < .001
BBS · 12 weeks
- BBS remained unchanged
Baseline characteristics
- Mean age
- 79 ± 8
- Female
- 40%
- NYHA III or IV
- 87%
- Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction
- 43%
- LVEF <50%
- 57%
Programme completion
- Patients completed the programme
- 24 patients (80%)
Original publication
Bridging the post-hospitalization gap: a feasibility study of home-based rehabilitation in decompensated heart failure. ESC Heart Fail. Published 8 January 2026. doi:10.
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it