Did you know that this week is Cardiac Rehabilitation Week? Have you been participating in your rehab program? Although cardiac rehabilitation doesn’t change your past, it can help improve your heart’s future. This week we’re all about focusing our attention on cardiac rehabilitation’s contributions to the improvement of the health and physical performance of individuals at risk for heart disease, or who have experienced a heart attack, heart failure, angioplasty, or heart surgery, including LVAD insertion.  There is recent evidence that Cardiac Rehab (CR) improves the endurance and functional capacity of LVAD recipients.

Check out this research abstract at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28727672

and this article published by the Cleveland Clinic:

Rehab After LVAD Implant Makes a Life Saver Even Better

 

Cardiac Rehabilitation is designed to help patients improve their health and recover from a heart attack, surgery to treat heart disease or to help manage other forms of heart disease.  Heart failure teams build an individualized plan for regaining strength, reducing risk of future health problems, and improving overall health and quality of life. Progress is monitored by a telemetry unit that traces the heart’s activity.

As an LVAD patient, your participation in a cardiac rehabilitation program is essential for improving your quality of life.  Your activity will be documented and measured thoroughly by your team, keeping you in-the-know of your personal improvement markers.

Cardiac rehab has three equally important parts: exercise counseling and training, education for heart-healthy living, and counseling to reduce stress.

Cardiac rehabilitation will help you to return to work and resume your normal activities. Happy Heart Month!