Cardiovascular disease (CVD) poses a significant health challenge globally, including in Korea, due to its status as a leading cause of death and its impact on cardiopulmonary function. Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is a well-established program that not only aids in restoring cardiopulmonary function, but also improves physical and social conditions. The benefits of CR are widely recognized, and it is implemented globally. While the effectiveness of CR has been proven in Korea, it is underutilized. This fact sheet summarizes the current status of CR in Korea, including the prevalence of CVD, the clinical practice guidelines for CR programs, and the challenges of implementing CR in Korea.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Real-World Impact of Cardiac Rehabilitation Education and Therapy on Clinical Outcomes after Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Korean Cohort Analysis Kina Jeon, Hyeongsu Kim, Chul Kim, Kunsei Lee, Bora Lee, Ho Jin Jeong, Sung Hea Kim, Kyeong Eun Uhm Yonsei Medical Journal.2026; 67(10): 763. CrossRef
Beat-to-Beat Heartbeat Detection Using a Smartphone Acoustic Operator Kounkou Vincent, Lin Wang, Ke Sun, Tao Gong, Xiyue Tan, Danyang Bao IEEE Sensors Journal.2026; 26(2): 2457. CrossRef
Residential green space and incidence of cardiovascular disease: Evidence from a nationwide population-based study Junhyun Kwon, Hyeon Chang Kim, Eunji Kim, YunJae Jung, Eunji Kim International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health.2026; 276: 114831. CrossRef
Factors influencing active participation in cardiac rehabilitation among patients with cardiovascular disease: A nationwide cohort study Chul Kim, Jung Hwa Hong, Jang Woo Lee PM&R.2025; 17(10): 1140. CrossRef
2024 Cardio-cerebrovascular disease fact sheet in Korea Kyungdo Han, Jin-Hyung Jung, Sang-Suk Choi, Seung-Hyun Ko Cardiovascular Prevention and Pharmacotherapy.2025; 7(3): 85. CrossRef
Feasibility and Effects of a Home-Based Cardiac Telerehabilitation Program Following Coronary Intervention: A pilot study Min Soo Lim, Ju Yeon Lee, So Jung Lee, Youngjee Jeon The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy.2025; 37(6): 329. CrossRef
The Accessibility and Effect of Cardiac Rehabilitation in COVID-19 Pandemic Era Chul Kim, Jun Hyeong Song, Seung Hyoun Kim Annals of Rehabilitation Medicine.2024; 48(4): 249. CrossRef
Effectiveness of Home-Based Cardiac Rehabilitation with Optimized Exercise Prescriptions Using a Mobile Healthcare App in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Randomized Controlled Trial Hyun-Seok Jo, Hyeong-Min Kim, Chae-Hyun Go, Hae-Young Yu, Hyeng-Kyu Park, Jae-Young Han Life.2024; 14(9): 1122. CrossRef
Cardiac rehabilitation for patients with coronary artery disease Jang Woo Lee Journal of the Korean Medical Association.2024; 67(9): 566. CrossRef
Objective To test the hypothesis that a longer duration of phase II cardiac rehabilitation is required to recover the exercise capacity of elderly patients compared to younger patients.
Methods We retrospectively reviewed and analyzed the medical records of patients who were referred to our cardiac rehabilitation (CR) center and underwent percutaneous coronary intervention for acute myocardial infarction (AMI). A total of 70 patients were enrolled who underwent an exercise tolerance test (ETT) 3 weeks after the occurrence of an AMI (T0), 6 weeks after the first ETT (T1), and 12 weeks after the first ETT (T2). Patients older than 65 years were assigned to the elderly group (n=24) and those aged 65 years and younger to the younger group (n=46). Both groups performed center-based or home-based CR for 12 weeks (3 times per week and 1 session per day). Exercise intensity for each individual was based on the target heart rate calculated by the Karvonen formula. The change in maximal metabolic equivalents (METmax) of the two groups was measured at each assessment point (T0, T1, and T2) to investigate the recovery of exercise capacity.
Results The younger group showed improvement in METmax between T0 and T1. However, METmax of the elderly group showed no significant improvement between T0 and T1. The exercise capacity, measured with METmax, of all groups showed improvement between T0 and T2.
Conclusion Elderly patients with AMI need a longer duration of CR (>6 weeks) than younger patients with AMI.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Effects of Exercise on Aerobic Capacity and Quality of Life in Patients with Coronary Heart Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials Yin Liang, Yifan Zhang, Liwen Du, Yuanyuan Lv, Cui Li, Laikang Yu Journal of Science in Sport and Exercise.2026;[Epub] CrossRef
Advancements, challenges, and innovative strategies in cardiac rehabilitation for patients with acute myocardial infarction: A systematic review Sisheng Zhang, Yuhui Lin Current Problems in Cardiology.2025; 50(2): 102934. CrossRef
L’unité de gériatrie aiguë à orientation cardio-gériatrique : une innovation pour la prise en charge des patients âgés Amaury Broussier, Nina Liu, Nathalie Marie-Nelly, Émilie Thomas, Livia Labon, Gita Motamed Soins.2025; 70(895): 50. CrossRef
Effect of two different types of exercise volumes on exercise capacity, physical activity, and quality of life in subjects undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention: a pilot study Adriana Angarita-Fonseca, Adriana Marcela Jacome-Hortúa, Andrea Juliana Ortiz-Patiño, Zully Rocío Rincón-Rueda, Carmen Juliana Villamizar-Jaimes, Erika Tatiana Paredes-Prada, Juan Carlos Sánchez-Delgado Physiotherapy Quarterly.2024; 33(1): 50. CrossRef
Effect of Combined Exercise Training on Physical and Cognitive Function in Women With Type 2 Diabetes Nafiseh Ghodrati, Amir Hossein Haghighi, Seyed Alireza Hosseini Kakhak, Sadegh Abbasian, Gary S. Goldfield Canadian Journal of Diabetes.2023; 47(2): 162. CrossRef
The effects of rate pressure product at admission on cardiopulmonary function during hospitalization in patients with acute myocardial infarction Chun-Mei Zeng, Yan-Mei Zhao, Yi-Yi Li, Rong-Rong Gan, Zheng Ling, Ping Li Postgraduate Medicine.2023; 135(8): 803. CrossRef
Relationship Between Number of Cardiac Rehabilitation Exercise Training Sessions, Muscle Mass, and Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Rural Elderly Patients with Coronary Artery Disease Seong Bok Choi, Ji Hee Kim Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare.2023; Volume 16: 3309. CrossRef
Cardiac Rehabilitation and Complementary Physical Training in Elderly Patients after Acute Coronary Syndrome: A Pilot Study Aurelija Beigienė, Daiva Petruševičienė, Vitalija Barasaitė, Raimondas Kubilius, Jūratė Macijauskienė Medicina.2021; 57(6): 529. CrossRef
Shorter Wait Times to Cardiac Rehabilitation Associated With Greater Exercise Capacity Improvements Dion Candelaria, Robert Zecchin, Cate Ferry, Laila Ladak, Sue Randall, Robyn Gallagher Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and Prevention.2021; 41(4): 243. CrossRef
Predictors for one-year outcomes of cardiorespiratory fitness and cardiovascular risk factor control after cardiac rehabilitation in elderly patients: The EU-CaRE study Prisca Eser, Thimo Marcin, Eva Prescott, Leonie F. Prins, Evelien Kolkman, Wendy Bruins, Astrid E. van der Velde, Carlos Peña Gil, Marie-Christine Iliou, Diego Ardissino, Uwe Zeymer, Esther P. Meindersma, Arnoud W. J. Van’tHof, Ed P. de Kluiver, Matthias PLOS ONE.2021; 16(8): e0255472. CrossRef
Community-Based Cardiac Rehabilitation Conducted in a Public Health Center in South Korea: A Preliminary Study Sora Baek, Yuncheol Ha, Jaemin Mok, Hee-won Park, Hyo-Rim Son, Mi-Suk Jin Annals of Rehabilitation Medicine.2020; 44(6): 481. CrossRef
Objective To compare a center-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR) program with a home-based CR program in terms of improving obesity related index and cardiopulmonary exercise capacity after the completing a phase II CR program.
Methods In this study, there were seventy-four patients with acute myocardial infarction after percutaneous coronary intervention who were analyzed. Patients with mild to moderate risk (ejection fraction >40%) were included in the group. The patients underwent an exercise tolerance test by measurement of the modified Bruce protocol at three assessment points. Those in the center-based CR group participated in a 4-week training program with electrocardiography monitoring of the patient’s progress and results, while those patients who were in the home-based CR group underwent self-exercise training. We measured the obesity related indices such as body mass index, fat free mass index (FFMI), and cardiopulmonary exercise capacity including peak oxygen consumption (VO2max), metabolic equivalents (METs), heart rate, resting systolic blood pressure and the diastolic blood pressure of the participants and noted the results.
Results Of the 74 patients, 25 and 49 participated in the center-based and home-based CR programs, respectively. Both groups showed significant improvement in VO2max and METs at 1-month and 6-month follow-up. However, FFMI was significantly improved only in the center-based CR group after 1 month of the phase II CR.
Conclusion Both groups identified in the study showed significant improvement of VO2max and METs at 1-month and 6-month follow-up. However, there was no significant difference in the intergroup analysis. A significant improvement of FFMI was seen only in the center-based CR group after phase II CR.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Comparing the effectiveness of home-based and center-based cardiac rehabilitation: a randomized clinical trial Fereshteh Sattar, Marzieh Taheri, Pedram Babaee, Ehsan Shirvani, Hamidreza Roohafza, Faezeh Tabesh, Mohammad Hadi Mansouri, Mohammadmahdi Hadavi, Anahita Babak, Sina Rouhani, Masoumeh Sadeghi Future Cardiology.2026; 22(8): 811. CrossRef
Obesity in Cardiac Rehabilitation: Considerations in Offering Weight Management As Part of Cardiac Rehabilitation Programs Codie R. Rouleau, Chelsea Moran, Tamara M. Williamson Canadian Journal of Cardiology.2025; 41(12): S33. CrossRef
A scale for measuring home-based cardiac rehabilitation exercise adherence: a development and validation study Zhen Yang, Yuanhui Sun, Huan Wang, Chunqi Zhang, Aiping Wang BMC Nursing.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
Center-Based vs Home-Based Geriatric Rehabilitation on Sarcopenia Components: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Qiaowei Li, Fang Wang, Xiaoqun Liu, Huijuan Zhong, Feng Huang, Pengli Zhu Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.2022; 103(8): 1663. CrossRef
Do Patients Maintain Proper Long-Term Cardiopulmonary Fitness Levels After Cardiac Rehabilitation? A Retrospective Study Using Medical Records Chul Kim, Hee Eun Choi, Jin Hyuk Jang, Jun Hyeong Song, Byung-Ok Kim Annals of Rehabilitation Medicine.2021; 45(2): 150. CrossRef
An observational study substantiating the statistical significance of cardiopulmonary exercise with laboratory tests during the acute and subacute phases of center and home-based cardiac rehabilitation Jeong Jae Lee, Jun Young Ko, Seungbok Lee Medicine.2021; 100(31): e26861. CrossRef
Rehabilitación cardíaca fase 2 post infarto agudo al miocardio. Kirby Gutiérrez Arce, Jessy Estefanía Funez Estrada, Cristian Yovany Rojas Aboyte, Perla Lizeth Hernández Cortés Hernández Cortés, María Cristina Enríquez Reyna Revista de Ciencias del Ejercicio FOD.2021;[Epub] CrossRef
First
Prev
