Advancing Cardiac Rehabilitation Delivery and Outcomes: Focusing on Exercise and Lifestyle

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue of the Journal of Cardiovascular Development and Disease explores innovative approaches to improving cardiac rehabilitation outcomes, with particular focus on exercise and lifestyle interventions. Despite the widespread adoption of exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation as a secondary care model, poor patient accessibility, enrolment and adherence limit its patient and population impact. This collection presents novel research and clinical insights aimed at optimizing cardiac rehabilitation delivery through tailored exercise prescriptions, digital health integration, and behaviour change strategies. Successful submissions will examine the role of structured physical activity for improving cardiovascular function, reducing morbidity, and enhancing quality of life. Lifestyle modification—including nutrition, stress management, and smoking cessation—may be addressed as a critical complement to exercise-based rehabilitation.

The accepted contributions will highlight emerging models such as home-based and hybrid (telehealth) cardiac rehabilitation, which leverage technology to expand reach and engagement without overburdening our current rehabilitation centres. By showcasing multidisciplinary perspectives and evidence-based practices, this Special Issue aims to inform policy, guide and enhance clinical implementation, and inform future research. Overall, this Special Issue will gather evidence to support the importance of holistic, patient-centred approaches in advancing the effectiveness and equity of cardiac rehabilitation worldwide.

Dr. Brett Gordon
Guest Editor

Dr. Blake Collins
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Cardiovascular Development and Disease is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.