Early after heart transplantation, patients require close medical follow up and exercise training.The objective of the study was to assess the usefulness of an inpatients Cardiac Rehabilitation center (inCRC) in these two settings.

100 consecutive patients (age:47.2±13.2, men:79%) referred to our inCRC less than 3 months after heart transplantation were included. Acute events (AE) occurring during the inCRC stay and exercise training modality and results were assessed.

Patients were hospitalized in the inCRC 33.8±21.3 days after the transplantation, for a 25.9±11.2 days duration on average. During this period, AE occurred in 49% (n=49) of the patients: 24 graft rejection, 19 infections requiring IV antibiotherapy, and 6 other AE. Most of these events were managed by the inCRC but 22 patients were temporarily referred to the transplantation center because of too severe AE (infection: n=11, tamponade: n=1, acute rejection requiring plasmapheresis: n=3, other: n=7). Seventeen patients (17%) were colonized by a multiresistant bacterium. Finally, due to all these event, 23% (n=23) of the patients underwent only 5 exercise training sessions or less. The exercise capacity improvement after completion of a classical exercise training program (n=13±5 sessions) is given in the table below for the 77 other patients (77%).

Early after heart transplantation an inCRC can be useful to (i) safely treat subacute complications under the guidance of the referent transplantation center and (ii) perform an exercise training program.

Abstract 0012 - TablePost-op day 33±21 (before rehabilitation)Post-op day 60±22 (after rehabilitation)PPeak VO2 (ml/kg/min)12.7±3.217.2±4.0< 0.001Ventilatory Threshold (ml/kg/min)9.9±2.512.2±3.7< 0.001Maximal Workload (Watts)60±1782±23< 0.01Resting Heart Rate (bpm)91±1489±130.6Maximal Heart Rate (bpm)107±16115±18< 0.001