In 2008, the EACPR Cardiac Rehabilitation Nucleus proposed to introduce a database for outcome measurements and quality assessment in CR across Europe.
Within the last two years an internet based survey was carefully prepared and now implemented into clinical practice. This web-based registry and database enables us to link existing CR databases in the European countries, and also those institutions which plan to join independently.
We now have more than 50 sites across 9 countries taking part. First baseline data show, that about 80% of patients across Europe are admitted for CR after an ischemic event by any cause and only 7% because of heart failure. Only 25 % of patients admitted for CR are women whereas 75% are men. At time of admission one third of patients are overweight and two third were physically inactive during the years before their cardiac event occurred. It is notable that prescription of cardioprotective drugs at the time of admission matches current guidelines in about 80% of cases.
Our first results, describing more than 1.000 patients at baseline and after completion of a CR programme, have been submitted for the “late breaking trials” session at the upcoming
EuroPRevent 2011 congress in Geneva.