Cardiac Rehab Lowers Risk for Death After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 2, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is associated with lower two-year mortality following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), according to a study published online June 29 in the Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

Tyler M. Bauer, M.D., from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues linked Medicare fee-for-service claims to surgical data for 6,412 patients discharged alive after isolated CABG (Jan. 1, 2015, through Sept. 30, 2019). Death within two years of discharge was compared for patients using CR versus those without CR.

The researchers found that 60.0 percent of patients were enrolled in CR for an average of 23.2 sessions, with 12.0 percent completing all recommended 36 sessions. Older age, discharge to home (versus extended care facility), and shorter length of stay were predictors for postdischarge CR use. There was a significant reduction in two-year mortality seen for CR users versus CR nonusers (unadjusted: 9.4 percent reduction; inverse probability treatment weighting: 4.8 percent reduction).

"These data suggest that CR use is associated with lower two-year mortality," the authors write. "Future quality initiatives should consider identifying and addressing root causes of poor CR enrollment and completion."

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