May is Stroke Awareness Month
If you experienced a serious stroke, would you want to reduce your chances of dying within the year by 76 percent? Would you want to increase your cardiac capacity — and all scores related to mobility, selfcare, communication, and cognition?
Research at Hackensack Meridian JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute shows how through its groundbreaking Stroke-HEARTTM Trials. Research published in the Journal of Stroke & Cerebrovascular Diseases found that JFK Johnson’s Stroke Rehabilitation Program’s 36 sessions of medically monitored cardiovascular training made an extraordinary difference in how patients recovered from stroke. The program also includes psychological, nutritional, and educational support and risk factor management.
The ongoing study so far has included more than 1,600 stroke survivors. Because stroke can vary greatly from one survivor to the next, the study created a subgroup of patients closely matched for gender, race, type of stroke, age, medical complexity, and functional scores at hospital discharge.
Of 449 patients in this subgroup, 246 completed the program. Among the patients who completed the program, four died within a year of their stroke. Among the non-participants, 14 patients died. This translates into a four-fold reduction in one-year all-cause mortality. Study participants, meanwhile, also saw their cardiovascular capacity increase 78 percent. They improved in all other measures as well.
Researchers have shown that people recovering from even serious stroke can exercise safely and experience enormous benefits. The JFK Johnson research is now being expanded to rehabilitation centers across the country. Sara Cuccurullo, M.D., Vice President and Medical Director of JFK Johnson and Principal Investigator of the study, is available to speak on these breakthrough trials.
SOURCE; JFK University Medical Center