Cardiac Rehabilitation

Cardiac rehabilitation helps cardiac patients recover quickly, improve their overall physical and mental functioning, and regain their independence after a cardiac event or procedure. Acceptable diagnoses for cardiac rehabilitation include myocardial infarction (heart attack), coronary artery bypass graft surgery, percutaneous coronary intervention, heart valve repair/replacement, heart or heart/lung transplant and stable angina pectoris.

Core components of cardiac rehabilitation include patient assessment, cardiovascular exercise, nutritional counseling, tobacco cessation, stress management and risk factor modification. Our staff works with you, combining elements of education, counseling and exercise to develop an individualized therapeutic plan of care.

The Cardiac Rehabilitation Program at CHH works with you to develop a professionally supervised program designed especially for you and your family. Cardiac Rehabilitation Services may include:

• Individualized exercise plan
• Risk factor counseling
• Nutrition education
• Weight reduction
• Smoking cessation
• Medication education
• Diabetes education
• CPR for families
• Stress management
• Spousal and family support
• Vocational counseling

The Cardiac Rehabilitation Program helps you to improve your heart function, maintain a healthy body weight, manage hypertension, improve your ability to live with stress, increase your family's ability to cope with heart disease and enhance social adjustments and functioning. The program also helps you to:

• Decrease your risk of heart disease
• Decrease your symptoms of heart disease
• Decrease anxiety and depression
• Treat cholesterol and lipid abnormalities
• Increase your tolerance of daily activities
• Increase your knowledge of your heart problem, your diet, appropriate exercise and prescribed medications
• Increase the chances of your return to employment
• Objectively measure exercise tolerance without significant cardiovascular complications

Cardiac rehabilitation is a team effort that involves many people, starting with you and your family and including a physician, an exercise physiologist, a registered nurse, a vocational/rehabilitation counselor, a clinical pharmacist, a dietitian, a counselor or social worker or a Pastoral Care counselor. Cardiac rehabilitation is covered by most health insurance plans.

• Last updated: 08/28/2011
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