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BACKGROUND: Despite multiple publications on effects of rehabilitation in cardiac patients, rehabilitation is not fully known to be of value in post-percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) patients. AIMS: To investigate the influence of cardiac rehabilitation on the incidence of major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) in post-PCI patients. METHODS: Retrospectively and nonrandomized 140 post-PCI patients (107 males, mean age 62 (7) years) participated in a 3-month rehabilitation program, starting 2 weeks post-PCI, while 83 post-PCI patients (54 males, mean age 68 (8) years) did not and were all followed up for 15 months. Data on cardiac medication prescription and incidence of MACE (including angina pectoris with or without reintervention, restenosis, myocardial infarction, revascularisation with re-PCI or CABG, and death) were collected. The relationship with cardiovascular risk factors including sex, smoking behaviour, obesity, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, familiar predisposition, and hypercholesterolemia was analysed. RESULTS: The incidence of total MACE in the rehabilitation group is significantly lower than in the control group (24% vs. 42%, respectively; P<0.005). The incidence of documented restenosis, angina pectoris with resulting reintervention, all revascularisations, and death is significantly lower in the rehabilitation group, compared with the control group. CONCLUSION: The incidence of MACE and restenosis is significantly lower when PCI patients are included in a cardiac rehabilitation program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]