A comparative study on the application of large language models: Deepseek-R1, GPT-4o, and Claude-Sonnet-4 in post-cardiac surgery rehabilitation—A cross-sectional study

DeepSeek-R1 is most suitable for structured, guideline-based rehabilitation education. GPT-4o may be preferable in emotionally supportive or patient-facing scenarios due to its superior readability. Claude-Sonnet-4, while less consistent, may offer stylistic balance in diverse communication settings. Overall, LLMs show promising potential in digital cardiac rehabilitation, but task-specific model alignment remains essential.