Cardiac Rehabilitation Guide

What is cardiac rehabilitation?

Cardiac rehabilitation (cardiac rehab) aims to strengthen your heart. If you have experienced a cardiac event, such as a heart attack, had heart surgery, a coronary angioplasty or a heart transplant, you may be enrolled into a cardiac rehab program.

Cardiac rehab is a comprehensive program of exercise and education that will help you recover and return to being as active in life as possible. It is specifically designed to improve your physical, emotional, and psychological health through exercise, education and risk factor modification/management.

Cardiac rehab has been proven to be beneficial in improving quality of life, patients outcomes, overall fitness levels, as well as reducing hospital readmission rates.

Who can attend cardiac rehab?

If you have had any of the following medical conditions or procedures, you may be eligible to attend cardiac rehab:

• Heart attack
• Coronary angioplasty
• Coronary stenting
• Stable angina
• Coronary artery bypass surgery CABG) surgery
• Valve surgery
• Heart transplant
• Permanent pacemaker insertion
• Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) insertion
• Stable heart failure
• Peripheral artery disease
• Ventricular assist devices

Who is part of a cardiac rehab team?

A cardiac rehab team will consist of a number of healthcare professionals, including:

• Cardiac physicians
• Cardiac rehabilitation physical therapists
• Exercise physiologists
• Cardiac rehabilitation nurses
• Dietitians
• Pharmacists.
• Occupational therapists

What happens during cardiac rehab?

Cardiac rehab combines exercise and education on risk factors, heart health, diet and nutrition, as well as emotional support.

Exercise

During cardiac rehab, your fitness level is assessed, and an exercise program will be prescribed based on your abilities, health status and goals.

Education

Educational sessions are provided by members of a cardiac rehab team. The aim of these is to educate you and your family members or friends about your condition and how to successfully manage it. This will be done in conjunction with your physician’s recommendations.

You will learn about the risk factors associated with the development of heart disease and peripheral arterial disease. Your specific risk factors will be identified, and you will be advised on how to manage these risk factors in order to reduce your risk of future cardiac or vascular events.

These risk factors include, but are not limited to: smoking, high blood pressure, excess alcohol consumption, overweight and obesity, high cholesterol, an unhealthy diet, stress, physical inactivity and diabetes.

When does cardiac rehab begin?

For some, cardiac rehab may have already begun before admission to the hospital. You may have already stopped smoking or begun to improve your lifestyle. However, for the majority, it begins once you enter the hospital.

In order to attend cardiac rehab, you will need an assessment and internal referral by a cardiac specialist.

Cardiac rehab is divided into three phases: Depending on the phase and your therapy needs, there may be different team members involved in your cardiac rehabilitation program.

Phase one

Begins in the hospital and involves educational sessions and supervised physical activity, extensive education on precautions and daily living activities

Phase two

This phase is provided on an outpatient basis in a purpose-designed cardiac rehab unit. You will be given an individually prescribed exercise program based on your functional capacity and health status. During your exercise session, your heart rate and blood pressure will be monitored, and you will be supervised by a healthcare professional. You will also have the opportunity to attend education sessions which will be provided by members of the cardiac rehab team. Educational topics include: understanding your condition, how your medications work and why it is important, understanding and managing your risk factors, and participation in daily life and the benefits of exercise.

Phase three

This is a long-term maintenance program designed specifically to help you maintain a lifelong healthy lifestyle.

What are the benefits of cardiac rehab?

Cardiac rehab has been proven to be beneficial in many ways. It improves your cardiovascular fitness after heart surgery, a heart attack or other heart conditions, and improves quality of life. It can also reduce your risk of having another cardiac event or developing complications from heart disease in the future. It can also help you to manage stress, depression and anxiety.

Cardiac rehab can also teach you how to adopt healthier habits, which can contribute to a longer, healthier life.