Managing Frailty: Implications for Prehabilitation and Rehabilitation

Presented by Josef Niebauer MD,PhD, MBA; Daniel M. Forman, MD; Jonathan Myers, PhD, FAACVPR; Ellen Aberegg, MA, LD, RD, FAACVPR
Disclosures: None

1.0 CEUs: AACVPR

Description: This session, recorded at the 2024 Annual Meeting, will discuss how frailty is a major health issue that is associated with poor quality of life, disability, and increased risk of falling. With the aging of the population, a greater proportion of cardiac rehabilitation patients are frail. Frailty in the context of cardiac rehabilitation is often associated with advanced age, but it can also be present in younger individuals with multiple chronic conditions. Frail individuals may have reduced muscle strength, endurance, balance, and overall functional capacity. This poses challenges during exercise therapy and may increase the risk of adverse events. The degree of frailty can be reduced significantly by prehabilitation programs prior to major interventions, and as part of rehabilitation programs in patients with cardiovascular disease. This session will focus on methods of quantifying, managing, and lessening frailty in the context of cardiac rehabilitation.

Learning Objective: 

1. Gain a better understanding of frailty and how it impacts implementation of cardiac rehabilitation.
2. Understand how prehabilitation can lessen frailty and improve outcomes in patients preparing for an intervention.
3. Appreciate how to quantify frailty and how it can be applied as a vital sign.

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