Aim: The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between postoperative intubation time after cardiovascular surgery and postoperative rehabilitation progress.

Methods: In this study, we included 127 patients (67.8% men) who underwent rehabilitation after open-heart cardiovascular surgery at our hospital from April 1, 2019, to March 31, 2020. We investigated the association between postoperative intubation time and rehabilitation progress, factors influencing postoperative intubation time.

Results: The average postoperative intubation time was 251min (range 185 -576), and it was significantly associated with the duration of intensive care unit stay, duration of the rehabilitation, and the length of hospital stay. Multiple regression analysis revealed that total intraoperative fluid delivery and acute postoperative complications significantly affected postoperative intubation time.

Conclusion: We observed an association between postoperative intubation time and rehabilitation. Our results suggest that postoperative intubation time is associated with progress in postoperative rehabilitation.

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between frailty category and 6-minute walk distance (6MWD) in heart failure patients, as evaluated using the kihon checklist (KCL).

Methods: The study participants were heart failure patients admitted to our hospital who were able to walk independently and did not have severe cognitive decline. The relationships between 6MWD and patient background factors, biochemical test results, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), short physical performance battery (SPPB) score, New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classification, and KCL score were investigated, and KCL sub-categories were investigated by frailty category.

Results: The total number of participants was 103 (55 males; 53.4%). Using multiple regression analysis, KCL, hemoglobin level, NYHA classification, and SPPB score were identified as independent factors for 6MWD decrease (R2=0.71). Among the KCL sub- components, large proportions of participants in the frail group showed decreased motor, oral, and cognitive functions and possible depression (P<0.01), whereas a large proportion of participants in the pre-frail group were housebound and socially withdrawn (P<0.01).

Conclusions: The frailty categories evaluated by KCL showed correlations with 6MWD. In addition, KCL can clarify problems with different frailty categories.

Aim: We propose a new patient classification system called "Recovery phase" to enhance communication and consistency of goals and main therapy programs among physical therapists with varying levels of experience. This report aims to evaluate the effectiveness of physical therapy based on the Recovery Phase classification.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 558 patients with cardiovascular disease. The Recovery phase was defined as Phase I (no criteria met for early mobilization), Phase II (conditioning and early mobilization as main programs), Phase III (ADL training as main program), and Phase IV (endurance training as main program). The Recovery phase was determined in weekly meetings. Physical function at discharge was compared among the phases.

Results: As the Recovery phase progressed, there were significant improvements in muscle strength, walking speed, balance, ADL, and exercise tolerance.

Conclusion: The Recovery phase classification system provides a uniform approach to physical therapy goals and programs based on physical function for the treatment of a specific patient population with cardiovascular disease.