Referral rate and outcomes of cardiac rehabilitation after cardiac catheterization in a large Canadian city.
OBJECTIVE
The benefits of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) for patients with coronary artery disease are extensive and compelling, demonstrating reductions in mortality. However, some reports suggest that only 10% to 20% of eligible patients currently participate in formal CR programs. The purpose of this study was to identify the proportion of patients referred to CR in a large Canadian city, and to determine their statistically adjusted survival rates relative to patients not referred to CR.


METHODS
Subjects eligible for this study included all adult residents with coronary artery disease from 1995 to 1999 in the Alberta Provincial Project for Outcome Assessment in Coronary Heart Disease registry. All 5,081 patients who survived 6 months or more after catheterization were included in the analysis. Survival data were adjusted using a Cox proportional hazards model.


RESULTS
Referral to a CR program (28.9% of patients) was significantly more likely for young male patients who had undergone a prior revascularization procedure, presented with an ejection fraction exceeding 50%, and did not report cerebrovascular, peripheral vascular, or renal disease. Crude hazard ratios indicated that referral to a CR program remained significantly associated with lower mortality after control was used for clinical, anatomic, treatment and comorbid conditions recorded at catheterization (hazard ratio, 0.68; 95% confidence interval, 0.51-0.90; P = .005).


CONCLUSIONS
Despite the proven efficacy of CR in clinical trials, fewer than one third of the patients undergoing cardiac catheterization are referred to a CR program. The better survival outcomes noted for patients referred to CR suggests that there is an opportunity to improve care and outcomes through increased referral of patients to such programs.
Norris
Colleen M
CM
4-112G Clinical Sciences Building, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2G3, Canada. colleen.norris@nurs.ualberta.ca
Jensen
Louise A
LA
Galbraith
P Diane
PD
Graham
Michelle M
MM
Daub
William D
WD
Knudtson
Merril L
ML
Ghali
William A
WA
D000416:Alberta; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000401:mortality / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*