The Impact of Home-based Exercise Rehabilitation Compliance on the Recurrence of Atrial Fibrillation after Radiofrequency Ablation

Background Although exercise rehabilitation has been proven to be safe and effective for cardiovascular patients, compliance remains suboptimal. The sustained benefits of exercise are closely related to compliance, yet current research has failed to delineate the relationship between exercise compliance and the recurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients undergoing radiofrequency ablation. Objective To investigate the impact of adherence to home-based exercise rehabilitation programs and other relevant factors on the recurrence of atrial fibrillation in patients following radiofrequency ablation. Methods Convenience sampling was used to select patients with AF who underwent radiofrequency ablation surgery in the Department of Cardiology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from May to November 2020. Patients routinely underwent a 6-minute walk test, balance and flexibility assessments, and cardiopulmonary exercise testing, and individualized exercise prescriptions were formulated based on the assessment results. General patient data were collected, and exercise rehabilitation compliance was assessed using the Cardiac Rehabilitation Inventory (CRI) to evaluate the cardiac rehabilitation needs and willingness of patients with cardiovascular diseases, and the Patient Activation Measure (PAM13) was used to measure the level of knowledge, skills, behaviors, and confidence in participating in their own health management and health care during the disease diagnosis and treatment process. Compliance data on intensity-time and frequency were followed up at the 1st week, 3rd month, 6th month, 9th month, and 12th month. The generalized estimating equations (GEE) model was used to explore the influencing factors of the recurrence of AF in patients after radiofrequency ablation surgery. Results A total of 151 patients aged 29 to 84 years, with an average age of (61.7±11.0) years, and 23 patients experienced a recurrence of AF. The changes in intensity-time compliance and frequency compliance of AF patients after radiofrequency ablation surgery at different follow-up stages were statistically significant (P<0.05). After controlling for time, BMI, smoking, type of AF, activation, process anxiety, and outcome anxiety, the GEE analysis showed that intensity-time compliance≥100% was a protective factor for the recurrence of AF after radiofrequency ablation surgery (P<0.05) . Conclusion The compliance with home-based exercise rehabilitation in AF patients after radiofrequency ablation surgery changes over time, and it is recommended that clinical medical staff pay attention to the guidance and supervision of exercise intensity, take targeted measures to reduce process and outcome anxiety, in order to more effectively improve patient outcomes through exercise rehabilitation.