In the months after a heart attack, those who stick most closely to their cardiac rehabilitation program are much more likely to be alive years later, a new study has found.
After a person has had a heart attack, their care team routinely offer them cardiac rehabilitation. Rehab programs include advice on exercise, health education, medication, and lifestyle, in particular, quitting smoking, eating a healthful diet, and reducing stress levels.
In the first study to investigate the cumulative effect of sticking to multiple recommendations in cardiac rehab, researchers found significant benefits with every additional goal achieved.
The study identified that people who managed to meet all the recommendations had a mortality rate of up to 43% lower than the least conscientious.
This runs counter to the idea that there may be diminishing returns from cardiac rehab, with no additional improvement in survival once a person achieves a certain level of compliance.
The research appears in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
Scientists and doctors at Kaiser Permanente Northern California analyzed the medical notes of 25,778 people recorded 30 days after discharge from the hospital following a heart attack.
They repeated the study for 24,200 of these people who were still alive 90 days after discharge.
For each time point, the researchers checked whether the individuals were taking the following types of medication:
- an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker
- a beta-blocker
- an antiplatelet agent (not including aspirin)
- a lipid-lowering drug, such as a statin, for reducing cholesterol
And also whether the people:
- had a blood pressure reading lower than 140/90 millimeters (mm) of mercury (mm Hg)
- were not smoking
- had a low-density li