Effectiveness of a cardiovascular rehabilitation program in hypertensive patients at Kurhotel Escambray
Keywords:
arterial hypertension; cardiovascular rehabilitation; effectiveness; physical exercise; military personnelAbstract
Introduction: High blood pressure is the main cardiovascular risk factor in Cuba, with high morbidity in the Revolutionary Armed Forces. Cardiovascular rehabilitation programs have demonstrated effectiveness, but there is little evidence on their effectiveness in confinement in the military population. The objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of a cardiovascular rehabilitation program in hypertensive patients at the Kurhotel Escambray. Method: Prospective longitudinal analytical observational study in 455 hypertensive patients admitted to the Kurhotel Escambray (2012-2024). Stratified by cardiovascular risk, they performed supervised exercises for 21 days. Variations in systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate, adverse effects and adherence were evaluated. Favorable outcome was defined as the absence of disabling adverse events and improvement or stability in at least two hemodynamic indicators. Overall effectiveness was calculated as the percentage of indicators with a positive response ≥ 75 %. results: Sample: 65.7 % men, median age 49 years. Adherence: 89.2 % completed more than 6 sessions. Systolic blood pressure improved or stabilized in 83.3 %, diastolic blood pressure in 85.7 %, absence of adverse effects in 96.7 %, and heart rate in 50.1 %. The overall evolution was favorable in 80.9 %. Four out of five indicators were positive, with overall effectiveness of 80 %. Conclusions: The Kurhotel Escambray cardiovascular rehabilitation program is effective and safe in hypertensive patients, with a high favorable response. heart rate did not reach the threshold of effectiveness, suggesting the need for longer maintenance interventions.
Downloads
References
1. León-Álvarez JL. El Programa Nacional para la prevención y el control de la hipertensión arterial en Cuba. Acta Médica [Internet]. 2023 [citado 2026 en. 15];24(4):e412. Disponible en: https://revactamedica.sld.cu/index.php/act/article/download/412/pdf/2343
2. Pérez-Caballero MD, León-Álvarez JL, Dueñas-Herrera A, Alfonzo-Guerra JP, Navarro-Despaigne DA, de la Noval-García R, et al. Guía cubana de diagnóstico, evaluación y tratamiento de la hipertensión arterial. Rev Cubana Med [Internet]. 2017 [citado 2026 en. 15];56(4): 242-321. Disponible en: http://scielo.sld.cu/pdf/med/v56n4/med01417.pdf
3. NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC). Worldwide trends in hypertension prevalence and progress in treatment and control from 1990 to 2019: a pooled analysis of 1201 population-representative studies with 104 million participants. Lancet [Internet]. 2021 [citado 2026 en. 15];398(10304):957-980. Disponible en: https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0140-6736%2821%2901330-1
4. Sapkota A, Neupane D, Shrestha AD, Adhikari TB, McLachlan CS, Shrestha N. Prevalence and associated factors of hypertension among veterans of the indian gorkha regiments living in Pokhara Metropolitan City, Nepal. BMC Health Serv Res. 2021;21(1):899. doi: 10.1186/s12913-021-06907-1
5. Shpagina LA, Ermakova MA, Volkova EA, Iakovleva SA. Clinical, functional and biochemical characteristics of arterial hypertension in military men under chronic stress. Med Tr Prom Ekol [Internet]. 2008 [citado 2026 en. 15];(7):24-9. Disponible en: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18763613/
6. Rebagliati-Tirado C, Runzer-Colmenares F, Horruitiniere-Izquierdo M, Lavaggi-Jacobs G, Parodi-García JF. Caracterización clínica, epidemiológica y social de una población geriátrica hospitalizada en un Centro Geriátrico Militar. Horiz Med [Internet]. 2012 [citado 2026 en. 15];12(2):21-7. Disponible en: https://dialnet.unirioja.es/descarga/articulo/8878156.pdf
7. Meyer S, Gutiérrez M, Ábalos L, Araujo-Poumé J, Fontán F, Moreno C, et al. Factores asociados en población militar y civil con glaucoma en el Hospital Militar Central durante 2023. Arch Argent Oftalmol [Internet]. 2025 [citado 2026 en. 15];(28):40-45. Disponible en: https://archivosoftalmologia.com.ar/index.php/revista/article/download/312/305/
8. Mancia G, Kreutz R, Brunström M, Burnier M, Grassi G, Januszewicz A, et al. 2023 ESH Guidelines for the management of arterial hypertension The Task Force for the management of arterial hypertension of the European Society of Hypertension: Endorsed by the International Society of Hypertension (ISH) and the European Renal Association (ERA). J Hypertens. 2023;41(12):1874-2071. doi: 10.1097/HJH.0000000000003480.
9. Park Y, Lee J, Rinn MN. Resistance training improves vascular endothelial function and blood pressure in patients with cardiovascular diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Med Sci Sports Exerc [Internet]. 2024 [citado 2026 en. 15];56(10S):112-113. Disponible en: https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/fulltext/2024/10001/resistance_training_improves_vascular_endothelial.259.aspx
10. Zhang B, Hu H, Mi Z, Liu H. The impact of aerobic exercise on health management in older patients with hypertension: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials from the past decade. Int J Gen Med [Internet]. 2025 [citado 2026 en. 15];18:2823-2838. Disponible en: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12145098/pdf/ijgm-18-2823.pdf
11. Wang JF, Mao SJ, Xia F, Li XL. Effects of aerobic and resistance exercise on patients with hypertension: a systematic review and meta-analysis focusing on the sympathetic nervous system. Front Cardiovasc Med [Internet]. 2025 [citado 2026 en. 15];12:1569638. Disponible en: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12399580/pdf/fcvm-12-1569638.pdf
12. Hejazi K, Iraj ZA, Saeidi A, Hackney AC, Laziri F, Suzuki K, et al. Differential effects of exercise training protocols on blood pressures and lipid profiles in older adults patients with hypertension: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2025;131:105737. doi: 10.1016/j.archger.2024.105737.
13. Bermúdez-Yera GJ, Lagomasino-Hidalgo ÁL, Navas-Contino M. Efectividad de las alternativas terapéuticas para la solución quirúrgica de las mediastinitis después de una cirugía cardíaca. CorSalud. 2017;9(2):80-7. Disponible en: http://scielo.sld.cu/pdf/cs/v9n2/cs04217.pdf
14. Ministerio de las Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias. Reglamento para los tratamientos profiláctico y sanatorial en las Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias. La Habana: MINFAR; 2013.
15. American College of Sports Medicine. ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription. 11.a ed. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer; 2021.
16. Mejía C. Indicadores de efectividad y eficacia [Internet]. Bogotá: Centro de Estudios en Planificación, Políticas Públicas e Investigación ambiental (CEPPIA); 2014 [citado 21 mar 2026]. Disponible en: http://www.ceppia.com.co/Herramientas/INDICADORES/indicadores-efectividad-eficacia.pdf
17. Cubillos-Jiménez B. "En nombre de la ciencia y por el progreso": crímenes científicos racistas y la Declaración de Helsinki [tesis de grado]. [Santiago de Chile]: Universidad de Chile; 2021. Disponible en: https://repositorio.uchile.cl/bitstream/handle/2250/184231/En-nombre-de-la-ciencia-y-por-el-progreso.pdf?sequence=1
18. Zetterberg H, Bring A, Hagström E, Breidenskog M, Johansson H, Urell C. Physical activity levels and associated biopsychosocial characteristics among attendees to exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation. Scand Cardiovasc J. 2025;59(1):2472763. doi: 10.1080/14017431.2025.2472763.
19. Rauch B, Salzwedel A, Bjarnason-Wehrens B, Albus C, Meng K, Schmid JP, et al. Cardiac Rehabilitation in German Speaking Countries of Europe-Evidence-Based Guidelines from Germany, Austria and Switzerland LLKardReha-DACH-Part 1. J Clin Med [Internet]. 2021 [citado 2026 en. 15];10(10):2192. Disponible en: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8161282/pdf/jcm-10-02192.pdf
20. Tian Z, Vollmer-Barbosa C, Lang H, Bauersachs J, Melk A, Schmidt BMW. Efficacy of pharmacological and interventional treatment for resistant hypertension: a network meta-analysis. Cardiovasc Res. 2024;120(1):108-119. doi: 10.1093/cvr/cvad165.
21. Pujalte MF, Richart-Martínez M, Perpiñá-Galvañ J. Analysis of the status of cardiac rehabilitation in Spain: an exploratory review. An Sist Sanit Navar [Internet]. 2022 [citado 2026 en. 15];45(1):e0991. Disponible en: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10114014/pdf/assn-45-01-e0991.pdf
22. Coutinho T, Khadanga S, Adedinsewo D, Barac A, Brown TM, Deaton C, et al. Cardiac rehabilitation in women: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2025;152(19):e376-90. doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000001379.
23. Altamirano-Carbajal GI, Bringas-Villalba EF, Ventura-Hernández EM. Adherencia al tratamiento terapéutico en pacientes con hipertensión arterial que acuden a un centro de salud de Lima Norte, 2021. Cuidado y Salud Pública [Internet]. 2021 [citado 2026 en. 15];1(2):3-8. Disponible en: https://www.cuidadoysaludpublica.org.pe/index.php/cuidadoysaludpublica/article/download/18/198/348
24. Andrade-Méndez B, Troche-Gutiérrez IY, Torres-Muñoz LD. Factores asociados a la adherencia terapéutica de personas con hipertensión arterial en atención primaria. Entramado [Internet]. 2024 [citado 2026 en. 15];20(2):e10736. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.18041/1900-3803/entramado.2.10736
25. Lin X, Zhang X, Guo J, Roberts CK, McKenzie S, Wu WC, et al. Effects of exercise training on cardiorespiratory fitness and cardiometabolic risk markers in overweight or obese people: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Am Heart Assoc [Internet]. 2015 [citado 2026 en. 15];4(7):e002014. Disponible en: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4608087/pdf/jah30004-e002014.pdf
26. Gomes-Neto M, Durães AR, Reis HFCD, Neves VR, Martinez BP, Carvalho VO. High-intensity interval training versus moderate-intensity continuous training on exercise capacity and quality of life in patients with coronary artery disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2017;24(16):1696-1707. doi: 10.1177/2047487317728370.
27. Blood Pressure Lowering Treatment Trialists' Collaboration. Pharmacological blood pressure lowering for primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease across different levels of blood pressure: an individual participant-level data meta-analysis. Lancet. 2021;397(10285):1625-36. Disponible en: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8102467/pdf/main.pdf
28. Navarro-Lomas G. La variabilidad de la frecuencia cardíaca como indicador del sistema nervioso autónomo: efecto del ejercicio físico en adultos [tesis doctoral]. [Granada]: Universidad de Granada; 2022. Disponible en: https://digibug.ugr.es/bitstream/handle/10481/79175/101922.pdf?sequence=4&isAllowed=y
29.- Carpio-Rivera E, Moncada-Jiménez J, Salazar-Rojas W, Solera-Herrera A. Acute effects of exercise on blood pressure: a meta-analytic investigation. Arq Bras Cardiol. 2016;106(5):422-33. doi: 10.5935/abc.20160064
30.- Bracewell NJ, Plasschaert J, Conti CR, Keeley EC, Conti JB. Cardiac rehabilitation: effective yet underutilized in patients with cardiovascular disease. Clin Cardiol. 2022;45(11):1128-1134. doi: 10.1002/clc.23911
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Tomás José Pérez García, Gustavo de J. Bermúdez Yera, Claudia Benítez Nieves, Eligio E. Barreto Fiu, Orelvis Rodríguez Cedeño

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.





