Cardiac Rehabilitation
 The Cardiac Rehab Department is a specialized care unit for adult patients with Coronary Heart Disease who have had heart attacks (myocardial infarctions), heart surgery, heart catheterizations and/or stable angina.
Cardiac Rehab offers specialized exercise programs for patients that are monitored and medically supervised by a professional staff including an Exercise Physiologist and Cardiovascular RNs. The staff is trained in Advanced Cardiac Life Support under the American Heart Association guidelines.
Cardiac Rehab is an important part of your recovery and consists of 3 phases:
First Phase-Education
Patients and families are provided with individual and group education on such topics as cardiac anatomy and physiology, risk factors, weight management and heart disease treatment.
Every Wednesday a group education class lasting 20-30 minutes will be held at 8:00 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Family members are encouraged to attend.
Second Phase-Exercise
Patient's exercise is supervised at an individually prescribed level indicated by the patient's medical history, stress test, physician and personal goals.
Heart rate, blood pressure, EKG and perceived exertion are monitored during exercise.
Exercise classes meet 3 times per week on Monday Wednesday and Friday for 45 minutes to 1 hour at the following times:
- 7:00 a.m.
- 8:30 a.m.
- 10:00 a.m.
- 1:00 p.m.
- 2:30 p.m.
Please choose the same class time for all 3 sessions and arrive 10-15 minutes early in order to put on your monitor, weigh and have your blood pressure taken.
We recommend wearing tennis shoes or other rubber-soled shoes and loose clothing. Dress in layers so if you get warm with exercise you can be comfortable.
Third Phase-Support & Monitoring
Patients and families benefit from sharing experiences with others who are in a similar situation.
Patients and staff provide support to encourage healthy lifestyle changes.
Cardiac Rehab patients routinely report:
- Improved quality of life with less anxiety and depression.
- Increased knowledge and increased sense of control over their health.
- Increased capacity for exercise and daily activities.
- Confidence to continue healthy lifestyle patterns.
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