Does attending all 36 sessions of cardiac rehabilitation reduce the risks of death and myocardial infarction at 4 years in elderly Medicare beneficiaries compared to attending fewer sessions?
Completing the full 36-session course of cardiac rehabilitation is associated with improved long-term survival and reduced risk of myocardial infarction in elderly patients compared to partial completion.
Among Medicare beneficiaries, a strong dose-response relationship existed between the number of cardiac rehabilitation sessions and long-term outcomes. Attending all 36 sessions reimbursed by Medicare was associated with lower risks of death and MI at 4 years compared with attending fewer sessions.
Hammill et al. (2009) studied this question.