A Cardiac rehabilitation is a customized outpatient program to be taken up by patients after a heart attack or other heart disease or surgery. The goal of Cardiac rehabilitation is to help improve the patient’s health and help them recover from the heart conditions after surgery.
The program includes exercise training, educating the patient about lifestyle and behavioral changes to reduce heart problems. These programs are known to reduce the risk of death from heart disease and prevent future heart problems. Still the Cardiac rehabilitation is not only for heart patients. It is in general a program designed to benefit any patient to adapt to a better lifestyle for a healthy heart.
The people with below conditions could consider it:
Those suffering from Coronary artery disease
Who have had Heart attack or Heart failure
People suffering from Peripheral artery disease
Have had any heart surgeries like valve replacement, angioplasty or stents
Having heart diseases run in the family
Patients with conditions affecting heart like diabetes and high blood pressure
The cardiac rehabilitation program could last from months and the duration may vary from patient to patient. The program is guided by a team of health care professionals including cardiologists, nutritionist, mental health specialist and other required therapists.
Here Are The Most Common Inclusions In The Program
Medical evaluation
Medical evaluations are done regularly to track the results and make changes if required e.g. BMI.
Physical Activity
An important part of the program includes exercises. The level of physical activity again depends on patients and may change during the program.
Lifestyle instruction
Lifestyle changes including healthy eating, quitting smoking and drinking, stress management and others are instructed to be followed.
Emotional and behavioral support
Since many find it difficult to cope with the changes, behavioral support is also included in the program. People who feel depressed or unmotivated are provided emotional support and counseling.
Life after the Cardiac Rehabilitation
The Cardiac rehabilitation program benefits the most to those who continue the lifestyle learned in the program. With the improved lifestyle one should expect better weight and stress management capability. The physiological and behavioral inclusions in the program should help develop ability to control over habits like smoking and drinking and help them being more emotional stable.The patients should also find regularity and acceptance to the new lifestyle and have better understanding of the heart conditions.
In all improvement in overall quality of life is what a heart patient should expect and should be able to easily lead to after a successful Cardiac Rehabilitation.
