Receipt of cardiac rehabilitation services among heart attack survivors--19 states and the District of Columbia, 2001.

Each year, approximately 650,000 persons have a first heart attack in the United States. Heart attack survivors are at increased risk for recurrent heart attacks, cardiovascular complications, and sudden cardiac death. A major component of risk-reduction strategies for these patients is cardiac rehabilitation consisting of nutritional counseling; management of lipid levels, hypertension, weight, and diabetes; smoking cessation; psychosocial interventions; and physical activity counseling and exercise training. Although cardiac rehabilitation has been associated with substantially improved survival rates, the majority of eligible patients do not participate in cardiac rehabilitation. This report summarizes data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) on the prevalence of self-reported participation in cardiac rehabilitation services among persons in 19 states and the District of Columbia (DC) who have had a heart attack. The findings indicate that less than one third of these respondents have participated in cardiac rehabilitation. Including cardiac rehabilitation in all intervention plans for eligible patients with coronary heart disease remains a key strategy for reducing further disability.