Heart, body and mind—the first ESC Guidelines highlight the many benefits of cardiac rehabilitation

The European Society of Cardiology has released new guidelines titled "Heart, body and mind—the first ESC Guidelines highlight the many benefits of cardiac rehabilitation." These guidelines, set for presentation at the ESC Congress 2026, aim to emphasize the wide-ranging advantages of cardiac rehabilitation for patients with diverse cardiac conditions.

Cardiac rehabilitation is a customized program that aids patients in managing their cardiac disease and recuperating from a cardiac event or surgery. While previous recommendations for cardiac rehabilitation were scattered within specific ESC Guidelines, such as after a heart attack or in heart failure patients, this is the first time experts have synthesized the best available evidence across various heart conditions.

Professor Maria Bäck, chair of the ESC Guidelines Task Force, stated that cardiac rehabilitation is among the most effective treatments in cardiovascular care, offering benefits beyond medication or surgery alone. Despite a growing number of people living with cardiovascular diseases, its utilization remains underwhelming across Europe and beyond.

The new guidelines aim to underscore the importance of cardiac rehabilitation and provide practical information on its implementation, which can be lacking in guidelines focused on specific conditions. Dr. Matthias Wilhelm, another chair of the task force, emphasized that extended years of life are often accompanied by poor physical and mental functioning, making rehabilitation a key objective of the World Health Organization and the EU Safe Heart Plan.

An effective cardiac rehabilitation program comprises several core components, including exercise training, emotional support, personalized education on sustainable lifestyle changes, and medication adherence. The guidelines stress that each patient's plan should be individualized, developed through shared decision-making between the patient and healthcare professionals, and consider the patient's perspective, which values more than just physical recovery.

The guidelines recommend cardiac rehabilitation for various cardiac conditions, such as congenital heart disease, atrial fibrillation, heart valve replacement, and cancer patients who have received treatments affecting the heart. Despite evidence showing cardiac rehabilitation to be cost-effective and often cost-saving, reimbursement barriers exist in some countries.

Home-based digital delivery of cardiac rehabilitation, including remote monitoring and teleconsultations, can reduce healthcare costs and increase convenience for selected patients.