We developed an online based comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation program named “intensive cardiac rehabilitation for Japanese patients with coronary artery disease (CAD)” (J-ICR). This is the pilot study of J-ICR to investigate the feasibility and safety of the program. J-ICR consisted of four parts: exercise sessions, dietary education centered on “the Japan diet”, stress management program using mindfulness, and group support with a frequency of 3 hours per session, once a week for 12 weeks (a total of 36 hours). This physician-initiated, open label, randomized trial of J-ICR evaluated the feasibility of the program as primary outcome. Home adherence to the program and the changes in the risk factors of CAD as secondary outcomes. This is the main analysis investigating the feasibility and safety of the program as a pilot study of J-ICR. To evaluate the efficacy of the program patients who consented to the participation were randomized to either early intervention group (immediate administration of the program) as experimental or late intervention group (administration of the program after a 12-week waiting period) as control. The average participation rate of the program was 91.4% and there was no drop out. Healthy Eating Index-2015 for the evaluation of dietary education, and meditation practice time for the evaluation of stress management significantly increased from pre to post the program as home adherence (mean change 7.1±8.8, P=0.003 and 1.6±2.5 min/day, P=0.01, respectively). Regarding the risk of CAD, systolic blood pressure significantly decreased in the early intervention group, but not in the late intervention group (-5.6 ± 6.4 mmHg, P=0.02 vs. -2.4 ± 8.6 mmHg, P=0.42). The present findings suggest good acceptability and safety as the comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation program for CVD patients.

Kazuhisa Kaneda has completed his PHD from Kyoto University, Japan at his 45years old. His graduation thesis was about venous thromboembolism (VTE) and he contributed to the construction of a real-world large cohort registry of VTE in Japan. His graduation thesis is the main analysis of this registry. Simultaneously, He　developed comprehensive program of secondary prevention for coronary artery disease while his PHD student. He is the head of cardiac rehabilitation department of Kyoto University Hospital, Japan. He has been serving as a certified member of broad range of field, not only cardiovascular medicine but intensive care and emergency medicine, cardiovascular intervention and cardiac rehabilitation. He has publications in each field.