Cardiac rehab helps heart stent survival

ROCHESTER, Minn., March 18 (UPI) -- Cardiac rehabilitation is linked with reduced mortality rates for patients who have had stents to treat coronary blockages, U.S. researchers found.

Dr. Randal Thomas, a preventive cardiologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., found patients who had coronary angioplasty -- stent placement, also known as percutaneous coronary intervention -- and participated afterward in a cardiac rehabilitation program had a 45 percent to 47 percent decrease in mortality compared to those who did not participate in a cardiac rehabilitation program.

"Patients need to know that once they've had a coronary artery stent placed, they are not cured," Thomas said in a statement. "Participation in a cardiac rehabilitation program will improve their health outcomes and quality of life."

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