Feasibility and Effectiveness of Remote Virtual Reality-Based Cardiac Rehabilitation

Detailed Summary

Regular exercise in patients who have heart disease is highly beneficial and improves quality of life and survival. Exercise training is considered a core component of cardiac rehabilitation (CR), which is a multicomponent program delivered to patients who have heart disease. However, it is severely underutilized because people simply don't have the time or the resources to travel to a CR centre to attend rehab appointments. The investigators have developed a novel virtual reality (VR) based CR exercise system (MedBike). This system consists of an exercise bike attached to a VR world; it makes exercise engaging and fun. Furthermore, patients can be monitored during exercise remotely over the internet. The investigators intend to perform a pilot randomized controlled trial in which 10 patients are assigned to the MedBike system and 10 to standard CR. The investigators think that the MedBike system will increase exercise program compliance by providing an enjoyable and engaging exercise experience which can be performed in the comfort of one's own home. The investigators think that this will improve fitness (primary endpoint) in these patients. If the investigators demonstrate that home based exercise is feasible, the investigators plan a larger study to prove that it is something that should be broadly implemented in patients with heart disease.

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