Effects of early rehabilitation on functional outcomes in patients after coronary artery bypass graft surgery: a randomized controlled trial

Objective This study evaluated the effectiveness, feasibility, and safety of early rehabilitation for patients after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Methods In a three-arm randomized controlled trial, patients who underwent CABG from January 2018 to June 2018 were randomly assigned to one of three groups: (i) usual care (UC group); (ii) UC + single general ward rehabilitation (SGR group); and (iii) UC + general ward rehabilitation and intensive care unit (ICU) rehabilitation (IGR group). The primary outcome was the Barthel Index scores. Results The Barthel Index score for UC (75.3 +/- 12.1) was significantly lower than that of both SGR (86.2 +/- 14.1) and IGR (89.1 +/- 15.5). There was no significant difference in the Barthel Index scores between the SGR and IGR groups. Statistically significant differences were found in the length of ICU stay and post-operative hospital stay but not in post-operative pulmonary complications (PPC) or atrial fibrillation between the three groups. Conclusion Early rehabilitation implemented during ICU stay and on the general ward resulted in significant improvements in functional independence and could be a safe part of routine care post-CABG.