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Psychophysiological effects of cardiac rehabilitation in post-myocardial infarction patients

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Abstract

Psychophysiological reactivity and cardiovascular functioning were assessed in 40 patients with coronary heart disease before and after taking part in either a Type A modification training program or a control condition. Treated patients showed an overall attenuated heart rale (HR) response and prolonged diastolic time to mental stress performance, during recovery and rest periods, as compared to control patients. No other measure, including impedance-cardiogra-phy-derived measures, differentiated the two groups. The treatment group showed reduction from before to after treatment in 24-hr minimum HR level and decreased frequencies of premature ventricular contractions, whereas the control group showed an opposite trend. Results from an exercise test suggested the same direction for resting IIR, and double-product levels. The two groups did not differ in maximal systolic and diastolic blood pressure or in maximal double-product levels, despite a differential development, in favor of the treatment group, in maximal work capacity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Psychology and Department of Clinical Physiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden

    Örjan Sundin

  2. Department of Clinical Psychology, Uppsala Unjversity, UppsaIa, Sweden

    Arne Öhman

  3. Departments of Cardiovascular Surgery, Uppsala University Hospital Uppsala, and Umea University Hospital, Umea, Sweden

    Gunilla Burell & Thomas Palm

  4. Department of Clinical Physiology, Uppsala Universiiy, Uppsala, Sweden

    Gunnar Ström

  5. Department of Clinical Neuroscience, KI, Section of Psychiatry and Psychology, Karolinska Hospital, S-171 76 Stockholm, Sweden

    Örjan Sundin

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  1. Örjan Sundin
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  2. Arne Öhman
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  3. Gunilla Burell
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  4. Thomas Palm
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  5. Gunnar Ström
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Additional information

This research was supported by Sweden Tercentenary Foundation Grants 83/108:1-4 and 88/229:1-2) to Arne Öhman

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Sundin, Ö., Öhman, A., Burell, G. et al. Psychophysiological effects of cardiac rehabilitation in post-myocardial infarction patients. Int. J. Behav. Med. 1, 55–75 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327558ijbm0101_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327558ijbm0101_4

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