Reuters
by Lisa Rapaport

The study wasn’t designed to prove whether or how cardiac rehab might directly affect patient outcomes, nor did it examine why some patients might not have been offered cardiac rehab or chose not to enroll.  Even so, the results underscore the importance of discussing options for cardiac rehab, when possible before surgery so services will be lined up when they’re needed, said Dr. Randal Thomas, co-author of an editorial accompanying the study and medical director of cardiac rehabilitation at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. “They will recover quicker, feel better, function better, and live longer as a result,” Randal said by email. “If a center-based program is not available near them, they should ask about the options for a home-based cardiac rehabilitation program that would be available to them instead.”

Reach: Reuters offers 24-hour coverage of global happenings for professionals around the world. With 196 editorial bureaus in 130 countries and 2,400 editorial staff members, it covers international news, regional news, politics, social issues, health, business, sports and media.

Context: Randal Thomas, M.D. is a Mayo Clinic internist in Cardiovascular Medicine. Dr. Thomas has previously served as director of the Cardiovascular Health Clinic at Mayo Clinic, and continues to serve as the medical director for the Mayo Clinic Cardiac Rehabilitation Program. 

Contact: Traci Klein

Tags: cardiac rehab, Dr. Randal Thomas, Reuters, Uncategorized