Cardiac rehabilitation is a branch of medically supervised rehabilitation medicine or physical therapy to achieve and maintain optimal physical and psychosocial health in patients living with cardiac disease or recent cardiac surgeries. We at SPARRC have a dedicated multidisciplinary team comprising a Doctor, Physiotherapist, occupational therapist and fitness trainer equipped to rehabilitate multiple cardiac conditions.
The goals of cardiac rehabilitation include:
- Improve cardiac efficiency and reduce risk of infarction and death
- Help relieve unwanted symptoms such as breathlessness, angina, anxiety, depression and stress management.
- Increase work capacity and return to work if appropriate and/or previous level of functional capacity
Cardiac Conditions that can be Rehabilitated
- Hypertension
- Ischaemic heart disease
- Myocardial infarction
- Surgeries (coronary angioplasty, coronary-aortic by-pass graft surgery)
- Chronic heart failure
- Cardiac myopathy
- Valve repair/replacement
- Insertion of cardiac pacemaker
- Peripheral arterial disease
- Post cerebral vascular disease
Cardiac rehabilitation should begin as soon as possible and typically comprises four phases namely:
- In hospital patient period
- Post-discharge pre-exercise period
- Exercise and education program
- Maintenance
The secondary prevention component of Cardiac Rehabilitation requires delivery of exercise counseling and customised training, education for heart-healthy living and counseling to reduce stress and risk factors and follow up with the intention of rehabilitation, depending on patient’s condition and complications of disease, for better quality of life for patients.
