Technological Platforms and Telerehabilitation in Heart Surgery

After completing a 12-session physical therapy programme and the aforementioned co-interventions, patients will receive a telerehabilitation strategy comprised by electrocardiographic monitoring and a smartphone application aimed at detecting adverse events during exercise activities. These devices will also inform patients and healthcare providers regarding the adequacy of their physical activities in terms of cardiovascular outcomes and the observed changes during treatment.

Physical therapy will be provided in form of twelve 90-minute sessions. Exercises will be tailored to patient needs, but a common goal of reaching an oxygen consumption of 80-90% will be used for every participant.

Nutritional counseling will be provided in 60-minute group sessions for included participants. A nutritionist will provide education in terms of healthy eating and risk factor modification.

Participants will be screened for depression using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale, which has been validated for Spanish-speaking countries. If depression is confirmed, pharmacologic treatment and/or psychotherapy will be prescribed at the discretion of the attending physician.

Whenever needed, treatment of comorbid conditions, such as hypertension, diabetes or dyslipidemia, will be provided for study participants.