[Rehabilitation of myocardial infarction (author's transl)]

The rehabilitation of patients with myocardial infarction starts at an early stage of the disease, with an activation programme. In the post-acute phase this is substituted by the early rehabilitation programme carried out in cardiological centres. When the patient is discharged from hospital he undergoes an approximately one year out-patient long-term rehabilitation programme, which encompasses all sorts of secondary prevention with respect to risk factors (i.e. carbohydrate and lipid metabolism disturbances, nicotine abusus, and hyperalimentation) as well as phychosocial assistance and adequate physical therapy. These procedures have yielded positive results. In a series of 800 patients who underwent long-term rehabilitation 75.8% had resumed work. Also important is that with the help of the long-term treatment the patients became less anxious and could hence be re-integrated more easily.