Only 1 in 3 Patients who Survive a Heart Attack Receive Cardiac Rehabilitation

Approximately 1 in 3 patients reported receiving cardiac rehabilitation following a myocardial infarction (MI), according to a recent Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

While a systematic review showed that patients who received cardiac rehabilitation had a 53% lower risk for all-cause mortality and 57% lower risk for cardiac-related mortality compared with those who never received cardiac rehab, the CDC authors found low rates of rehabilitation use across the United States when they analyzed data from the 2013 and 2015 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BFSS).
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Among the 2013 BFSS responders who reported that they survived an MI, only 33.7% reported receiving cardiac rehabilitation following hospitalization for MI. Likewise, 35.5% of responders to the 2015 BFSS reported receiving cardiac rehab following hospitalization for MI.

In addition, the authors found that older adults, men, non-Hispanic whites, persons with college education or higher, and those with 2 or more cardiovascular disease risk factors were more likely to receive cardiac rehabilitation.

“Health system interventions to promote cardiac rehab referral and use, supported by access to affordable rehab programs within the community, should be prioritized to improve outcomes and prevent recurrent events,” the researchers conclude. “In addition, patients who have experienced a heart attack should be made aware of the availability of alternative models of cardiac rehab, such as telehealth and home-based rehab, to reduce the barriers related to transportation and responsibilities at home or work.”

—Melissa Weiss

Reference:

Fang J, Ayala C, Luncheon C, Ritchey M, Loustalot F. Use of outpatient cardiac rehabilitation among heart attack survivors — 20 states and the District of Columbia, 2013 and four states, 2015. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2017;66:869–873. http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6633a.