Uddin 2020.

Study characteristics
Methods	Study design: Quasi‐RCT (single centre) Country: Bangladesh Dates participants recruited: July 2012 ‐ July 2013 Maximum follow‐up: 12 months
Participants	Inclusion criteria: participants admitted for elective CABG surgery, aged between 25‐65 years and understood Bangla. Exclusion criteria: Admission for emergency CABG surgery or revision CABG surgery, any neurological problems or severe comorbidities, or they were not planning to stay in Bangladesh for ≥ 1 year after CABG surgery. N randomised: total: 142; intervention: 71; comparator: 71 Diagnosis (% of participants): post‐CABG (100%). Age (mean ± SD): intervention: 54 ± 6; comparator: 55 ± 6 Percentage male: intervention: 66 (93%); comparator: 63 (89%) Ethnicity: NR
Interventions	Intervention: participants participated in a 45‐min CR class (groups of 6‐10, 7‐8 days after surgery) in the hospital and were provided with an educational booklet in Bangla. In the class, participants were encouraged to comply with and have knowledge about medical advice, given information about the home exercise program, stress management, smoking cessation, alcohol intake and diet, encouraged to resume everyday activities and social interaction. The booklet described a home exercise training program including upper‐ and lower‐limb exercises, breathing exercises, chest movements and aerobic exercise (walking program). Educational information provided about safe levels of activity, details of personal risk factors, useful telephone numbers, when to seek medical advice, and how to manage recurrent breathlessness or chest pain. Participants received a monthly telephone call for 12 months from a qualified physiotherapist trained by the research team regarding the CR advice booklet and exercise program. The physiotherapist answered any participant questions and reminded them to follow the CR program, and attend their next hospital appointment. Components: exercise plus education. Setting: home‐based (with one initial centre‐based session) Exercise programme modality: Upper and lower limb exercises, breathing and chest exercises, walking. Length of session: 30 minutes. Frequency: 4 sessions per week. Intensity: RPE 11‐13. Resistance training included? Not clear. Total duration: 12 months. Co‐interventions: None described Comparator: Usual care – conventional hospital discharge care including drug treatment, post‐surgical information (precautions i.e. do not lift, pull or push heavy objects or weight > 5kg, lie in a supine position in bed), dietary advice from a dietician and routine follow‐up hospital visits. Co‐interventions: none described.
Outcomes	HRQoL
Source of funding	Not reported
Conflicts of interest	None declared
Notes
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias)	High risk	“A quasi‐random method was used to allocate patients to either a home‐based CR program in addition to UC or UC alone. Allocation was done according to the week of surgery for patients, with every other week allocating patients to either the CR group or the UC group. Allocation was done by the research team and was not influenced by the preferences of the research team, patients, or relatives.”
Allocation concealment (selection bias)	Unclear risk	Not reported
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) All outcomes	Unclear risk	No information provided about blinding of outcome assessment
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes	High risk	Intervention 10/71 (14%) Control 31/71 (44%). Missing participant numbers high and uneven across groups, and reasons for loss to follow‐up not provided. Imputation not performed. Demographic characteristics of participants lost to follow‐up were similar to participants with complete data at 12 months.
Selective reporting (reporting bias)	Unclear risk	Neither a study protocol nor trial registration available.