Cardiac Rehabilitation

Cardiac Rehabilitation

Your cardiac rehabilitation is dependent upon your health situation. The rehabilitation programme should be tailor made specifically for an individual patient. This would help both your heart and general health.

In the Hospital

Rehabilitation starts, while you are still in the hospital.

ü  Motivate yourself by focusing on goals which are important to you e.g. returning to your work, spending time with your family, enjoying sports.  

ü  Though you are the person who has suffered from a heart attack, your family and close friends are also affected. Simply having people around you and you speaking to them can help you in recovery. Communicate you feelings. Do not bottle them up inside. By discussing, various emotions like anger, depression and the feeling of incompetence can be put to rest.

ü  Accept your condition that you are still at risk. You and your family can all modify risk factors to lead a healthier life.

ü  Certain non-strenuous activities like sitting up in bed and taking care of you like shaving should be started. Walking and slow climbing of stairs should also be down in the hospital.

On leaving the Hospital

Recovery- Early Phase

This phase starts when you leave the hospital and its duration is generally between 2-12 weeks. It does not matter if you had not exercised earlier. Exercise like walking and gentle calisthenics will improve the cardiac fitness. You should also start modifying your habits and have a healthy diet. While coping with you present condition sexual activity can be resumed.

Recovery- Later Phase

This is the maintenance programme of cardiac rehabilitation. It will go on life long. Your own exercise routine should start building up your confidence. Record your progress every day. This will give you a sense of achievement, which will boost your confidence to lead a normal life and slowly progress on it. You can also join a gym or fitness centre. It will be better if you join a recreational activity that will give you pleasure. Change your lifestyle for the better. Make healthier choice in food habits and modify your risks. Also take your medication regularly. See your doctor as advised.

Five Steps towards your Rehabilitation

It is a medically supervised programme to help heart patients recover faster. This helps in the improvement of physical and mental functioning, and regaining your strength. To maintain a healthier heart you would be enrolled in a cardiac rehabilitation programme. This programme is designed such as to reduce your risk for further development of atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease.

1.       Counseling

The patient in this session or sessions is made to understand and manage the disease process.

2.       Modification of Risk factors

The patient is helped to modify his risk factors like blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes and obesity.

Lower your Lipid profile: Elevated lipid cholesterol and triglycerides are important risk factors for developing cardiac disease. The currently accepted safe limit for LDL-C is 100mg/dl. It is known that levels below it can offer significant protection against heart disease. In people having two or more risk factors the accepted safe limit of cholesterol is under 70 mg/dl. You will be advised lipid lowering medication if you cannot keep them under control with lifestyle changes.

Control Blood Pressure: Hypertension or increased blood pressure makes the heart work harder to get the blood circulating through your body. Shortness of breath on exertion needs to be reviewed by your doctor. Keep your blood pressure under control with a proper diet, exercise and medication.

Stop Smoking: Your chances of having a heart attack triple with smoking. Quit smoking now.

Lose weight: Fat around the middle especially increases your chances of a heart attack or stroke. Obesity also leads to diabetes. A high fiber diet with whole grains, vegetables and moderate exercise is the answer for losing excessive weight.

Keep your Blood Sugar under Control: High blood sugar is a major risk factor in the development of cardiac disease. Burn off your sugar with exercise. Have a proper, nutritious and balanced diet. Avoid alcohol, juices, fruits, high in sugar content and sweets. Stick to products containing slow releasing sugars like complex carbohydrates.

Limit Salt Intake: The sodium in the salt helps your body to retain water. It increases the blood volume, in turn, raising your blood pressure.

3.       Lifestyle Education

ü  Guidance for the patient for a nutritious and balanced diet but with adequate calorific value required.

ü  Helping the patient avoid a sedentary lifestyle.

ü  To help in exercise and avoiding unnecessary stress.

4.       Vocational Guidance

Providing the patient vocational guidance, thus enabling him or her to return to work. It is especially important in patients who are below 60 years of age.

5.       Psychological Support

Physical limitations have to be explained to every individual patient. Emotional support or guidance with a positive outlook must be provided.