Cardiac Rehab
What’s It All About?
The American Heart Association states:
Cardiac Rehabilitation is a medically supervised program to help heart patients recover quickly and improve their overall physical, mental and social functioning. The goal is to stabilize, slow or even reverse the progression of cardiovascular disease, thereby reducing the risk of heart disease, another cardiac event or death.
Rehabilitation Takes A Global
Approach To Heart Wellness
Counseling, guidance and exercise all have their place in cardiac rehabilitation.
• Counseling topics include helping the patient understand and manage their heart disease, nutrition, and appropriate use of medication.
• Guidance on modifying risk factors such as high blood pressure, smoking and diabetes, vocational guidance to return to work, information on physical limitations, and emotional support.
• Beginning and maintaining an exercise program.
People who follow their program enjoy long term success in improving their health.
Who Typically Enters A Program
People who have had:
• Heart Attack
• Heart Failure
• Chest pain due to cardiac vessel blockage
• Bypass Surgery
• Angioplasty and Stent Placement
• Pacemaker Implants
• Congenital Heart Disease
• Peripheral Artery Disease
• Heart Transplant Patients
Wondering What’s Involved? Look Here!
Phase 1
The program usually begins when you are a patient in the hospital. You regain basic skills like getting out of bed, walking to the bathroom, and bathing yourself.
Phase 2
Once at home, the outpatient phase of rehab begins. The program is tailored to each person, including how many weeks the program will last.
You will have an exercise stress test. This will gauge your strength, endurance, and flexibility. Exercise may be every day, or several days a week, and start out slowly.
As mentioned earlier, counseling that meets your specific needs, reducing risk factors and maximizing your health, will take place alongside your exercise regimen.
If you have a low risk for a heart attack, you may be able to do your exercise program on your own with supervision from your doctor.
Goal
The goal is for you to have overall improvement in your physical function by the time the program ends.
Benefits For Your Heart
Studies have shown cardiac rehabilitation provides numerous benefits for your heart.
• Reduced risk of heart attack by 28% and dying early by 20-25%.
• Improvements in cholesterol and blood pressure.
• Lowering stress levels.
• Fewer episodes of angina.
• Slowed progression of plaque buildup in cardiac arteries, or even reversal.
• Weight loss.
• Reduced need for heart medicines.
• Improved overall physical health.
• Reduced depression and anxiety.
Omega Healthy Heart Wants You To Get The
Maximum Benefit
From Your Cardiac Rehab
Be informed. Ask your doctor about the program they recommend.
• What services are included?
• How long will you be participating?
• Is there a transition to a home exercise program?
Use this page as a guideline for questions.
Your success depends on your commitment.
Stick with it and your heart will thank you!