title: Attendance rates and outcomes of cardiac rehabilitation in Victoria, 1998.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the patterns of use of cardiac rehabilitation in Victoria and to assess whether the survival benefits predicted in clinical trials have been realised in the community.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cohort study based on data linkage.
  
  
  METHODS
  All patients admitted for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) or percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) in Victoria in 1998 (n = 12821).
  
  
  METHODS
  Attendance at one of 66 participating outpatient cardiac rehabilitation centres in Victoria.
  
  
  METHODS
  Rates of attendance at rehabilitation based on key factors such as diagnosis, age, sex, and comorbidity. Five-year survival for attendees compared with non-attendees.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Rates of participation in rehabilitation were 15% for AMI, 37% for CABG, and 14% for PTCA. Rehabilitation attendance rates dropped sharply after 70 years of age. Attendees had a 35% improvement in 5-year survival (hazard ratio for death associated with rehabilitation attendance, 0.65 [95% CI, 0.56-0.75]).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Attendance rates at cardiac rehabilitation are suboptimal, even though attendance confers a clinically significant difference in 5-year survival. The elderly, women, and those with comorbid conditions may benefit measurably from increased rates of attendance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Services, L18/120 Spencer St, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia. vijaya.sundararajan@dhs.vic.gov.au
authors.forename: Vijaya
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sundararajan
authors.forename: Stephen J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Bunker
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Begg
authors.forename: Ric
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Marshall
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: McBurney
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary / Q000401:mortality / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000401:mortality / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000401:mortality / Q000534:rehabilitation* / Q000601:surgery; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008498:Medical Record Linkage; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000401:mortality / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D014739:Victoria / Q000453:epidemiology