{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T17:53:14Z","timestamp":1785433994951,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":31,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,28]],"date-time":"2026-03-28T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1774656000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100004281","name":"National Science Center Poland\u2014NCN MINIATURA","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["2025\/09\/X\/NZ7\/01206"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2025\/09\/X\/NZ7\/01206"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100004281","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"award":["2025\/09\/X\/NZ7\/01206"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2025\/09\/X\/NZ7\/01206"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/03ha2q922","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Clinics and Practice"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common arrythmia in post-myocardial infarction (MI) cardiac rehabilitation (CR) cohorts, and beta-adrenergic signaling remodeling and rate-control pharmacotherapy may influence functional capacity. Methods: We retrospectively studied 117 consecutive male post-MI patients referred to outpatient CR. Functional capacity was assessed with a 6 min walk test (6MWT). AF was identified from clinical records, and beta-blocker exposure was unified as carvedilol-equivalent daily dose. Results: Beta-blockers were used in 94.1% of patients and AF was present in 10.3%. Patients with AF were older (72.7 \u00b1 6.6 vs 58.1 \u00b1 9.3 years) and walked shorter distances (430.0 [375.0\u2013497.5] vs. 540.0 [480.0\u2013570.0] m). In the prespecified interaction model, age remained independently associated with lower 6MWT (\u22124.29 m\/year; p &lt; 0.001), AF was associated with lower 6MWT (\u2212137.21 m; p = 0.01), and the beta-blocker dose \u00d7 AF interaction was positive (+6.78; p = 0.02; R2 = 0.44). Importantly, the beta-blocker dose was not associated with 6MWT in patients without AF, whereas a positive association was observed in AF (B = 7.55, p = 0.04). Conclusions: In this exploratory analysis, AF identified a subgroup with markedly reduced functional capacity in early post-MI CR, supporting the potential of phenotype-informed assessment. Additionally, the association between beta-blocker dose and 6MWT distance differed by rhythm status. These preliminary findings require confirmation in larger prospective cohorts.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/clinpract16040067","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,30]],"date-time":"2026-03-30T13:41:53Z","timestamp":1774878113000},"page":"67","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Atrial Fibrillation Modifies the Relationship Between Beta Blocker Dose and Physical Capacity After Myocardial Infarction"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Paulina","family":"Rabiej-Krzys","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Cardiology, Cardinal Wyszynski Hospital in Lublin, al. Krasnicka 100, 20-718 Lublin, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0543-3054","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Karolina","family":"Szczygiel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Dietetics, Medical University of Lublin, ul. Chodzki 7, 20-093 Lublin, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rafal","family":"Lenard","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cardiac Rehabilitation Center, Cardinal Wyszynski Hospital in Lublin, al. Krasnicka 100, 20-718 Lublin, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1418-7908","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Francesco","family":"Perone","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cardiac Rehabilitation Unit, Rehabilitation Clinic \u2018Villa delle Magnolie\u2019, 81020 Castel Morrone, Caserta, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9108-8391","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Joanna","family":"Popiolek-Kalisz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Cardiology, Cardinal Wyszynski Hospital in Lublin, al. Krasnicka 100, 20-718 Lublin, Poland"},{"name":"Department of Clinical Dietetics, Medical University of Lublin, ul. Chodzki 7, 20-093 Lublin, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,28]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e328","DOI":"10.1161\/CIR.0000000000001289","article-title":"Core Components of Cardiac Rehabilitation Programs: 2024 Update: A Scientific Statement from the American Heart Association and the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation","volume":"150","author":"Brown","year":"2024","journal-title":"Circulation"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"180","DOI":"10.1038\/s41569-021-00611-7","article-title":"The role of cardiac rehabilitation in improving cardiovascular outcomes","volume":"19","author":"Taylor","year":"2022","journal-title":"Nat. Rev. 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