Adding Stress Management to Cardiac Rehab Cuts New Incidents in Half

Contact: Samiha Khanna Phone: [phone] Email: [e-mail] https://www.dukehealth.org
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DURHAM, N.C. -- Patients recovering from heart attacks or other heart trouble could cut their risk of another heart incident by half if they incorporate stress management into their treatment, according to research from Duke Health.
The findings, published March 21 in the American Heart Association journal Circulation, are the result of a randomized clinical trial of 151 outpatients with coronary heart disease who were enrolled in cardiac rehabilitation due to heart blockages, chest pain, heart attacks or bypass surgery. They ranged in age from 36 to 84 years old. 
About half of the patients participated in three months of traditional cardiac rehabilitation, which included exercise, a heart-healthy diet and drugs to manage cholesterol and high blood pressure.
The other half went to cardiac rehab and also attended weekly, 90-minute stress management groups that combined support, cognitive behavior therapy, muscle relaxation and other techniques to reduce stress. Patients were followed for an average of three years after rehab.
(In photo at right, Michael Haymer, 56, exercises as part of his cardiac rehabilitation program at Duke Health. Haymer had a heart attack in December. Shawn Rocco/ Duke Health)
Thirty-three percent of patients who received only cardiac rehabilitation had another cardiovascular event such...

Source: DukeHealth.org: Duke Health Features - March 22, 2016 Category: Pediatrics Tags: Duke Medicine Source Type: news