EVALUATING THE EFFECT OF EXERCISE-BASED CARDIAC REHABILITATION ON HOSPITAL ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCALE (HADS) IN POST-CORONARY ARTERY BYPASS GRAFTING PATIENTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW.

Background: Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) offers a comprehensive approach that include exercise training, vocational counseling, psychological support, as well as risk factor modification for patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). However, the effect of exercise- based CR on hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) in post-CABG patients remains underexplored. Objective: The objective of this systematic review is to evaluate the effect of exercise-based CR on HADS in post-CABG Patients. Methods: We conducted electronic database searches from PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus from inception until July 2024 using relevant keywords, following PRISMA guidelines. Out of 3454 articles retrieved, 6 met the eligibility criteria for the present review. Studies that examined the effect of exercise-based CR on anxiety, assessed by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were included. In total, 6 studies were selected for qualitative analysis. Results: The quality assessment of the included studies was evaluated using the Revised Cochrane Risk of Bias tool (RoB 2 tool). All studies were determined to have a high risk of bias. The findings from three studies revealed that exercise-based CR significantly reduced anxiety scores, while other studies showed significant improvements across all groups. Conclusions: This systematic review demonstrated that exercise-based CR is effective in reducing anxiety in post-CABG patients.