What is Cardiac Rehab?
Cardiac rehabilitation is a medically supervised program to help patients recover from an acute cardiovascular event such as a myocardial infarction (heart attack), coronary artery bypass surgery, heart valve repair/replacement, percutaneous coronary intervention (such as a coronary stent placement), heart failure, and angina. Cardiac rehab provides services to help cardiac patients increase physical fitness, reduce symptoms, improve health and reduce the risk of future heart cardiac problems.
Phase I Inpatient
This phase begins with the patient in the hospital recovering from a cardiac event. Emphasis is placed on education for the patient and family. The educational process includes the use of audio-visual aids, printed materials, and counseling with the patient and family.
Phase II Outpatient
This phase is a structured, outpatient program for patients with heart disease. It focuses on exercise, education, and support. The Cardiac Rehabilitation program generally includes 36 sessions over the course of three months, with three sessions per week. Patients exercise in the Cardiac Rehabilitation outpatient center while the staff of Registered Nurses and Exercise Physiologists monitors the patient’s responses to exercise. Patients in Phase II are typically monitored with cardiac telemetry for the duration of the program. Exercise levels on each piece of equipment are adjusted regularly by an Exercise Physiologist, based on heart rate performance, the patient's level of comfort and their physician’s directions to provide maximal safe progress in exercise capacity.