Efficiency of rehabilitation after acute myocardial infarction

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the recurrence rate and medical expenses of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) following inpatient cardiac rehabilitation. A total of 834 patients with AMI were divided into Group 1 (with inpatient cardiac rehabilitation) and Group 2 (without inpatient cardiac rehabilitation). The results showed that Group 1 had a lower AMI recurrence rate (a 0.640-fold lower hazards ratio) than Group 2 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.197–1.863; p = 0.004]. Compared with the medical costs of Group 2, Group 1 also had lower medical costs (a 0.947-fold lower hazards ratio) than Group 2 (95% CI = 0.934–0.981; p = 0.042). These findings have implications for the decision making of clinicians and health policymakers attempting to provide adequate services for patients with AMI.