Cardiac
Rehabilitation
Cardiac
rehabilitation is a physician-supervised program
for people who have either congenital or acquired
heart disease. Program participants may or may
not have had a heart attack or heart surgery (or
other heart procedures). Cardiac rehabilitation
can often improve functional capacity, reduce
symptoms, and create a sense of well-being for
patients. A physician may prescribe cardiac rehabilitation
for a patient in certain situations.
Conditions
or cardiac procedures that may necessitate cardiac
rehabilitation may include, but are not limited
to, the following:
- congestive heart failure
- angina pectoris
- myocardial infarction
- post-open heart surgery
- post-heart transplantation
- balloon angioplasty
- pacemaker
- congenital heart disease
- arrhythmias
- rheumatic heart disease
Cardiac
rehabilitation programs can be conducted while
a person is a hospital inpatient or on an outpatient
basis. Many skilled professionals are part of
the cardiac rehabilitation team, including any/all
of the following:
- cardiologist / cardiovascular
surgeon
- physiatrist
- internist
- rehabilitation nurse
- dietitian
- physical therapist
- occupational therapist
- speech / language therapist
- psychologist / psychiatrist
- recreational therapist
- audiologist
- chaplain
- vocational therapist
A cardiac
rehabilitation program is designed to meet the
needs of the individual patient, depending upon
the specific heart problem or disease, and should
be supervised by a cardiac physician and a team
of cardiac professionals.
The
goal of cardiac rehabilitation is to help patients
reverse their symptoms and maximize cardiac function.
Cardiac rehabilitation includes, but is not limited
to, the following activities:
- establishing a progressive
exercise program to build fitness and functional
capacity
- providing educational
classes to help adjust to or change the patient's
lifestyle and habits, such as:
- smoking cessation
classes
- nutrition classes
- offering stress management
techniques and techniques to reduce anxiety
- counseling and educating
the patient with regards to his/her specific
heart condition/disease and the best management
approach for that specific condition
- preparing the patient
to return to work - equipping him/her to meet
the physical and psychological demands of the
job
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Resources of Cardiovascular Disease
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