Cardiac rehabilitation and outcome in stable outpatients with recent myocardial infarction

Objective: To compare the mortality rate and the rate of subsequent ischemic events (myocardial infarction [MI], ischemic stroke, or limb amputation) in patients with recent MI according to the use of cardiac rehabilitation or no rehabilitation.

Design: Longitudinal observational study.

Setting: Ongoing registry of outpatients.

Participants: Patients (N=1043) with recent acute MI were recruited; of these, 521 (50%) participated in cardiac rehabilitation.

Interventions: Not applicable.

Main outcome measures: Subsequent ischemic events and mortality rates were registered.

Results: Over a mean follow-up of 18 months, 50 patients (4.8%) died and 49 (4.7%) developed 52 subsequent ischemic events (MI: n=43, ischemic stroke: n=6, limb amputation: n=3). Both the mortality rate (.16 vs 5.57 deaths per 100 patient-years; rate ratio=.03; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.0-0.1]) and the rate of subsequent ischemic events (1.65 vs 4.54 events per 100 patient-years; rate ratio=0.4; 95% CI, 0.2-0.7) were significantly lower in cardiac rehabilitation participants than in nonparticipants. Multivariate analysis confirmed that patients in cardiac rehabilitation had a significantly lower risk of death (hazard ratio=.08; 95% CI, .01-.63; P=.016) and a nonsignificant lower risk of subsequent ischemic events (hazard ratio=.65; 95% CI, .30-1.42).

Conclusions: The use of cardiac rehabilitation in patients with recent MI was independently associated with a significant decrease in the mortality rate and a nonsignificant decrease in the rate of subsequent ischemic events.