Cardiac Rehabilitation Reduces 2-Year Mortality After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting
Recommended Citation
Bauer TM, Yaser JM, Daramola T, Mansour AI, Ailawadi G, Pagani FD, Theurer P, Likosky DS, Keteyian SJ, and Thompson MP. Cardiac Rehabilitation Reduces 2-Year Mortality After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting. Ann Thorac Surg 2023.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-29-2023
Publication Title
The Annals of thoracic surgery
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is a supervised outpatient exercise and risk reduction program offered to patients who have undergone coronary revascularization procedures. Multiple professional societal guidelines support the use of CR after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) based on studies in combined percutaneous coronary intervention and CABG populations with surrogate outcomes. This statewide analysis of patients undergoing CABG evaluated the relationship between CR use and long-term mortality.
METHODS: Medicare fee-for-service claims were linked to surgical data for patients discharged alive after isolated CABG from January 1, 2015, through September 30, 2019. Outpatient facility claims were used to identify any CR use within 1 year of discharge. Death within 2 years of discharge was the primary outcome. Mixed-effects logistic regression was used to predict CR use, adjusting for a variety of comorbidities. Unadjusted and inverse probability treatment weighting (IPTW) were used to compare 2-year mortality among CR users vs nonusers.
RESULTS: A total of 3848 of 6412 patients (60.0%) were enrolled in CR for an average of 23.2 (SD, 12.0) sessions, with 770 of 6412 (12.0%) completing all recommended 36 sessions. Logistic regression identified increasing age, discharge to home (vs extended care facility), and shorter length of stay as predictors of postdischarge CR use (P < .05). Unadjusted and IPTW analyses showed significant reduction in 2-year mortality in CR users compared with CR nonusers (unadjusted: 9.4% reduction; 95% CI, 10.8%-7.9%; P < .001; IPTW: -4.8% reduction; 95% CI, 6.0%-3.5%; P < .001).
CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that CR use is associated with lower 2-year mortality. Future quality initiatives should consider identifying and addressing root causes of poor CR enrollment and completion.
PubMed ID
37392993
ePublication
ePub ahead of print
