Reduction in sudden deaths and coronary mortality in myocardial infarction patients after rehabilitation

The study was set up to evaluate the long-term effects on mortality of a comprehensive rehabilitation and secondary prevention programme lasting 3 years after acute myocardial infarction. The study group consisted of 375 consecutive, non-selected patients under 65 years of age randomly allocated to an intervention group (188 patients) or a control group (187 patients). After 15 years follow-up significantly lower incidence of sudden death (16.5% vs 28.9%, P = 0.006) and coronary mortality (47.9% vs 58.5%, P = 0.04) were seen in the intervention group compared with controls. Total mortality was 64.4% and 66.8%, respectively (ns). The incidence of cancer death was 16 in the intervention group and three in the controls. Cardiac failure, enlarged heart, New York Heart Association functional class II or more and membership in the control group were significantly associated with coronary mortality during the first 3 years, and after 3 years enlarged heart, diabetes and reinfarction were associated with late coronary death. Thus, comprehensive multifactorial intervention after acute myocardial infarction had favourable long-term effects on coronary mortality and sudden death but no effect on total mortality.