Cardiac Rehab: An Important Tool in the Treatment and Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease

What Is Cardiac Rehab?

For patients who have recently had a heart attack, undergone angioplasty or stent placement, had recent cardiac surgery, or have heart failure, cardiac rehab is an important part of recovery. Cardiac rehab programs focus on improving cardiac outcomes through monitored exercise, diet and lifestyle counseling, and working on stress reduction. Qualifying patients who participate in cardiac rehab programs have decreased mortality from any cause five years after their cardiac event and also have significantly improved functional capacity, exercise tolerance, and quality of life.

As part of a cardiac rehab program, patients will not only engage in supervised exercise but will also receive education about medication adherence, dietary recommendations, smoking cessation, and stress management techniques. Furthermore, the providers at cardiac rehab work with patients to identify and overcome reasons why they may not be adherent to treatment for their cardiac disease or to lifestyle changes known to be important in preventing recurrent cardiac events. These interventions also help to reduce the risk factors that lead to cardiovascular diseases, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, smoking, and being overweight.

Given the multifaceted nature of the services offered, the cardiac rehab team is similarly multifaceted and is often made up of doctors, nurses, therapists, nutritionists, exercise physiologists, and pharmacists. In fact, studies have shown that comprehensive cardiac rehab programs that involve providers from across these disciplines have better outcomes as measured by better exercise capacity in their patients, fewer recurrent hospitalizations, and improved mortality.

In patients with heart failure, a large study has shown that attending cardiac rehab and engaging in exercise training is not only safe but also improved quality of life and also resulted in a trend towards fewer hospitalizations and reduced all-cause mortality. In light of this and other promising data, the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association has recently given the highest class recommendation (Class I, Level of Evidence A) to include cardiac rehab in the care of patients with symptomatic chronic, stable heart failure as well as patients with recent coronary vascular events or recent cardiac surgery.