PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the cardiac rehabilitation program (Phase III) on cardiovascular and cardiorespiratory function in the elderly (age, > or = 60) who experienced acute myocardial infarction. METHODS The design of research was nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design. Subjects were 10 people in the experimental group and 10 in the control group. The intervention program was the cardiac rehabilitation program (Phase III), and was performed for 50 ~ 60 minutes, twice a week for 8 weeks. The dependent variables were the cardiovascular and cardiorespiratory function. RESULTS Significant differences were shown in RHR, RSBP, SRPP, SBS, BMI, PT of the experimental group after the intervention. As for the differences in the amount of changes, there were differences among groups in RHR, RSBP, SRPP, SBS, PMET, and PT of the experimental group. CONCLUSION The cardiac rehabilitation program (Phase III) may be effective in improving cardiovascular function and enhancing cardiorespiratory function in elderly patients with acute myocardial infarction.
PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to discover the recovery process of those having had myocardial infarction. METHODS 15 participants with myocardial infarction were recruited by theoretical sampling methods. The data were retrieved through in depth interview, participant observation, and medical records of the patients. Collected data were analyzed through grounded theory approach of Strauss and Corbin(1998). RESULTS 63 concepts, 27 subcategories, and 11 categories were deduced from the open coding process. The recovery process of myocardial infarction showed to be a process of 'Controling healthy track', and chronological recovery process was a four-step process of recognizing disruption of healthy track, making efforts for controlling the disrupted healthy track, reconstructing the new healthy track, and adapting to the new healthy track phase. 'Controling healthy track' had three types of self-initiation, contention of reality, and fateful acceptance. CONCLUSION The results provided basic information for nursing intervention strategies depending on 'Controling healthy track' process by each phase and different types.