Mending Broken Hearts with Cardiac Rehab

Leon said the specific benefits of the exercise training component are improved functional capacity for the patient, improved blood vessel function, improvement in cardiovascular risk factors, improved coronary blood flow, improved electrical stability of the heart muscle (thus reducing the risk of a fatal heart rhythm disturbance), reduced risk of blood clots and reduced cardiac work and oxygen requirements. 

In 2007, it was reported that research at the Ochsner Medical Center, New Orleans, Louisiana found that the prevalence of depression decreased a significant 63 percent, from 17 percent to 6 percent, following rehabilitation.  And depressed patients who completed cardiac rehabilitation had a nearly 4-fold decrease in mortality compared with depressed patients who did not complete cardiac rehabilitation (30 percent versus 8 percent).  They looked at 522 patients with coronary artery disease who were an average of 64 years old and these were compared with a control group of 179 coronary artery disease patients who did not complete rehabilitation.

Clearly, there is no question about the benefits of cardiac rehab.  Physicians, relatives and friends should strongly encourage heart attack survivors and those receiving treatment for coronary disease to enter a cardiac rehab program.  It is as important as taking prescribed medicines and following a recommended diet.

My own experience, including listening to comments from other longer term participants, is that participating in a formal cardiac rehab program – typically three days a week for twelve weeks, with the option to stay in a maintenance program – helps people stay committed to regular physical exercise.  And this surely is important if losing weight is a goal. 

It should be noted that research at the University of Toronto reported in 2005 found that the optimal time for a rehab program is nine months.  But the problem in the US is that Medicare and other forms of insurance just cover three months.

I want to emphasize the benefits of having professionals carefully and routinely monitor blood pressure and heart function at a time when one is inevitably fearful about regaining physical strength and endurance after a heart attack.  One feels safe exercising because of all the careful, close supervision.  Confidence, confidence, confidence is a prime benefit of a participating in a cardiac rehab program.

If mending broken hearts is a priority, then clearly more must be done to get more heart attack survivors and heart disease patients into cardiac rehab programs.  This is really heartwise.

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