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:
¢ angina pectoris
¢ myocardial infarction
¢ post-open heart surgery
¢ post-heart transplantation
¢ balloon angioplasty
¢ pacemaker
¢ congenital heart disease
¢ arrhythmias
¢ rheumatic heart disease
¢ heart failure.
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 and 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 condition.
¢ preparing the patient to return to work -
equipping him/her to meet the
physical and psychological demands of the
job.
St. John’s Cardiac Rehabilitation Program
provides education, supervised exercise and support for cardiac patients
and their families.
The program emphasizes heart healthy living
and provides the patient and family with knowledge and power to make
appropriate lifestyle changes. All programs and services require a physician
referral and follow physician orders.
Cardiac Rehab begins with Phase I, for the
hospitalized patient. Following hospital discharge, rehab continues in the
Phase II, designed as a three-month outpatient program. Graduates of Phase
II may continue in the Phase III maintenance program.
Patients who have cardiac risk factors but no
history of heart disease may be referred directly into Phase III. Spouses
and significant others are encouraged to actively participate with the
patient to promote lasting lifestyle changes for the family.
St. John’s has 11 Outpatient Cardiac
Rehabilitation locations throughout southwest Missouri and northwest
Arkansas. Many of our programs are certified through the American
Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation.
Our staff includes registered nurses,
exercise physiologists, respiratory therapists, registered dietitians,
physical therapists and psychologists. Many of the staff are certified as
exercise specialists through the American College of Sports Medicine, or as
Certified Diabetes Educators through the American Diabetes Association