Cardiac rehabilitation

Rehabilitation for your heart can be useful regardless of your age, since it is a lifelong program used to help your heart muscle get stronger. It is recommended as beneficial by both the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology.

Our cardiac therapy ensures you and your family have the support network you need to lead a healthier life after a heart event or procedure.

Specifically, you may benefit from cardiac rehab if you currently have or recently have had a:

• Cardiac procedure or surgery, such as:
  • Coronary angioplasty (balloon angioplasty) and stenting
  • Coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG)
  • Heart transplant
  • Heart valve replacement or repair
  • Pacemaker or implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD)
  • Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)
• Cardiomyopathy
• Certain types of heart disease
• Chest pain (angina)
• Congestive heart failure
• Coronary artery disease (especially with stable angina)
• Heart attack
• Peripheral arterial disease

Talk to one of our cardiovascular specialists if you think you may want or need cardiac rehab. They will listen to your concerns and can help you navigate the process.

Our cardiac rehab programs are tailored around your needs, but all can be broken down into four phases: medical evaluation, physical therapy, education and support. The components of each phase are similar, regardless of where you receive treatment. For example, the phases typically involve inpatient (in hospital) and outpatient (after discharge) care and are include:

• Medical evaluations—Our specialists will perform this review of your physical abilities and medical history and will address your questions and concerns. This helps us understand your risk for issues such as heart disease or cerebrovascular accidents (strokes). Then we can personalize your rehab program around your specific needs.
• Physical activities—In most cases, your physical therapy actually begins in the hospital, after your heart event or procedure. It will all be designed around your abilities and limitations and will help you start strengthening your heart as quickly as possible. Your activities will gradually increase in duration and difficulty over the weeks and months ahead. Activities may include walking, cycling and other endurance activities as well as some strength training exercises. You'll be given a series of exercises you can continue at home as well, to ensure your ongoing success.
• Lifestyle education—A key component of cardiac rehab is understanding your condition, treatment and lifelong recovery needs. At our hospitals, this includes nutritional advice to lose weight, if needed, and a focus on cholesterol levels. We also offer guidance on how to break your unhealthy habits, such as smoking, and how to make other lifestyle changes.
• Support—Being diagnosed with a heart condition quite commonly leads to feelings of sadness, anxiety and hopelessness. It's scary at first, but our teams and support groups are here to make sure you have what you need to understand what is happening and how to recover. We also have behavioral health services, should you need them. We will continuously do everything in our power to help you cope and thrive.

Because the heart and lungs work so closely together in the body, conditions often impact both organs at once. This means you may need cardiopulmonary (heart and lung) rehab rather than just cardiac rehab. We offer complete cardiopulmonary programs in these cases, ensuring you get the care that is right for you.