How to reduce inequity of access to cardiac rehabilitation after Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement. Recommendations for the post-COVID era from a real world, population-based study

Little data exist regarding cardiac rehabilitation (CR) access after valve surgery. Moreover, the factors affecting the probability of timely access to CR after surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) have never been empirically investigated. The aim of the study is to fill this gap and respond to the following two research questions: (i) How many SAVR patients do access a timely CR program after SAVR in Italy? (ii) To what extent is timely access to CR for SAVR patients influenced by specific characteristics of patients and hospitals?