Custom cardiac rehab programs boost patient attendance, improve health

Hospitals across the nation are now offering customized programs that go beyond traditional cardiac rehab offerings. These custom-designed workouts are part of a push to improve rehab attendance, which the Wall Street Journal reports are underused despite strong evidence that, when completed, they help reduce deaths, prevent recurrent heart events and improve overall health and quality of life. "People are not cured after surgery, and there is still considerable prevention to do," Randal Thomas, a preventive cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn, told WSJ. Dr. Thomas is co-author of a study of coronary bypass patients at Mayo that found rehabilitation attendance was associated with a 46% reduction in the 10-year risk of death from all causes, regardless of a patient's age. Article