Canadian guidelines for cardiac rehabilitation and cardiovascular disease prevention, second edition, 2004: executive summary

Abstract

In 2004, the Canadian Association of Cardiac Rehabilitation published the second edition of its Canadian Guidelines for Cardiac Rehabilitation and Cardiovascular Disease Prevention. This set of guidelines expanded on the previous emphasis on risk stratification of patients with documented coronary artery disease and the importance of vascular protection in the prevention of recurrent cardiac events. Similarly, the section on special populations in cardiac rehabilitation was expanded, and new sections on nutrition, complementary medicine, atherosclerosis, program administration, outcomes assessment, continuous quality improvement, information technology and research opportunities were added.