By Cindy Fazel, RRT, RCS

If you have ever had a heart attack, bypass surgery, stent placement, valve replacement, heart transplant surgery or angioplasty, then you know that treatment doesn’t end after the surgery.  In order to decrease the risk for further cardiac problems, your doctor may refer you to a Cardiac Rehabilitation program.

The Cardiac Rehabilitation Program at Cloud County Health Center provides a medically supervised and monitored exercise program for those who have experienced heart related illnesses, and need to recover strength and a sense of well-being.  The goal of the program is to help you return to as normal and healthy a lifestyle as possible after a cardiac event.  There are three phases of the Cardiac Rehabilitation Program.

Phase 1 occurs while you are still in the hospital, recovering from a heart problem. The rehab in early days is more educational than physical, and includes videos and one-on-one learning sessions with the hospital staff.

Phase 2 of the Cardiac Rehabilitation Program is provided on an outpatient basis, with emphasis on conditioning your heart through exercise, and through educational videos and one-on-one learning sessions.  You will learn to exercise while being supervised with a cardiac monitor unit. That way, any abnormality in heart rhythm can be detected during exercise. You will be in a safe environment with Cardiac Rehab staff members, and will receive frequent educational talks on heart-related and general health topics.  Family members are strongly urged to join in these sessions because the care and support they provide will hasten your recovery. This phase lasts 12 weeks.

Phase 3 is more like a beginning than an ending.  It is the maintenance portion of the program.  You will continue your newly-formed healthy lifestyle habits, including exercise.  You will continue to attend exercise sessions, where pulse and blood pressures are monitored to detect any increase during exertion.

The encouragement and support that you will receive in a Cardiac Rehab Program makes it more likely that you will continue to live a more heart-healthy lifestyle.