May 16, 2011
Updated May 16, 2011 at 11:51 PM EDT
(WKBW/ABC News) Doctors know that cardiac rehab can be very effective in treating patients with heart disease, and now a new study shows this also applies to those who have had angioplasty, a procedure that opens narrowed or blocked arteries.
The report found that those with angioplasty who participated in cardiac rehabilitation were almost fifty percent less likely to die within six years than those who did not have the rehab.
Included in the rehab: patient education programs, exercise training, nutrition counseling and help to quit smoking.
Medicare and most health insurance plans cover cardiac rehabilitation, yet it's estimated that only one in four eligible patients actually gets it.
