Home-based cardiac rehab may lower death risk for U.S. veterans
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Loading... - Bobel Anna
- 02 Mar 2023
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U.S. veterans who participate in home-based cardiac rehabilitation following a heart attack or heart procedure may have a lower risk of dying than their peers who refuse the treatment, new research suggests.
But more than half of those eligible don't participate, according to the study, published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Heart Association. The results mirror national trends showing cardiac rehabilitation – usually provided at medical facilities – is severely underused.
"Whether in a hospital or home, cardiac rehabilitation is all about healthy behavior changes," senior study author Dr. Mary A. Whooley said in a news release. Whooley is a primary care physician at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center and professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.
"However, changing behaviors is difficult, and while care facilities may offer on-site cardiac rehabilitation, many patients don't choose to take advantage of follow-up treatment," she said. "The biggest surprise of our analysis was how few patients chose to participate in cardiac rehabilitation."
The American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology recommend referral to cardiac rehabilitation programs for people who have had heart attacks, heart failure, coronary bypass surgery, heart valve surgery and other heart conditions. Cardiac rehabilitation focuses on behaviors including diet, physical exercise and stress management. Research has shown it helps lower mortality and hospital readmission rates.
But studies also show many people don't use the programs. A study of Medicare beneficiaries published in 2020 found just 1 in 4 opted to participate in on-site, facility-based cardiac rehabilitation programs. According to the Million Hearts Cardiac Rehabilitation Collaborative, a joint project of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, increasing participation to 70% of cardiac patients following hospitalization could save 25,000 lives and prevent 180,000 additional hospitalizations each year.
The new study is the first to provide evidence that home-based cardiac rehabilitation also could improve survival rates, the authors said.
Researchers reviewed medical data for 1,120 veterans treated at the San Francisco VA Medical Center between August 2013 and December 2018 for heart attacks, angioplasty, coronary bypass grafting and other heart conditions. The veterans, mostly men with an average age of 68, were given the option of enrolling in a 12-week, home-based cardiac rehabilitation program following their hospitalizations. The program included up to nine coaching calls, motivational interviews, a workbook and personal health journal to document vital signs, exercise and diet. Read More…
