Although a record number of people are now surviving heart attack and stroke, the long-term consequences are high in terms of declining physical abilities, including everyday activities. Theodore Iwashyna says heart attack and stroke patients should be screened and monitored for functional disability after hospital discharge. “Our research suggests an urgent need to understand whether the acute and accelerated functional disability after heart attack and stroke are the result of incomplete rehabilitation from the initial hospitalization, additional vascular events, behavioral changes, or other mechanisms.”

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