Therapy

• a structured exercise programme ^a
• psychosocial interventions ^a - encourage patients to be realistic about their illness. ^c  

Why?

• Cardiac rehabilitation reduces death, particularly from cardiovascular causes. ^a
• A structured exercise program reduces death, but there is no clear effect on reinfarction rates. ^a

Cardiac rehabilitation reduces mortality

Patient	Treatment	Comparison	Outcome	CER	OR (95% CI)	NNT (95% CI)
myocardial infarction a	cardiac rehabilitation	no cardiac rehabilitation	death at 2 years	16%	0.76 (0.63 to 0.92)	30 (19 to 91)
myocardial infarction a	structured exercise program	usual daily activity	death at 3 years	13%	0.80 (0.66 to 0.96)	43 (25 to 220)

• Rehabilitation programmes with a formal psychosocial component help reduce mortality and morbidity. ^a
• Patients are more likely to return to work if they view their illness as less severe ^c