Cardiac Rehabilitation

Building Stronger Hearts

Regular physical activity is important for anyone, but when it’s not part of your routine, it can feel like a chore. Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center offers cardiac rehabilitation for our patients with heart disease. The goal of this program is to help you become accustomed to gradually incorporating more exercise into your life, which can change it from a major chore to a healthy habit.

By following your cardiac rehabilitation program, patients can expect to see improvements in their health. This can include better weight management, lower stress levels, improve blood sugar levels, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and better strength and stamina. Many patients also see a boost in their emotional health, too, especially because heart problems are often linked with depression and stress. Our cardiac rehabilitation patients often remark that the program improves their mental and physical wellbeing, helping both their bodies and minds.

What Is Cardiac Rehabilitation?

Cardiac Rehabilitation is a supervised exercise and education program to promote the recovery of cardiac patients. The program includes information for you and your family; supervised exercise while in the hospital; and ultimately, supervised exercise as an outpatient. Each program is based on the personal abilities and needs of the individual patient. Different types of equipment may be used such as treadmills, stationary bicycles and NuStep.

Am I a Candidate for Cardiac Rehabilitation?

Cardiac rehabilitation is most often recommended to patients who have had:

Bypass surgery
Valve repair or replacement surgery
Stable angina
Heart attack
Coronary artery bypass graft surgery
Angioplasty
Heart transplant
Congestive heart failure
Coronary stent placement
Chronic heart failure

What to Expect at Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center’s Cardiac Rehabilitation Program

Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center offers three successive rehabilitation programs for patients recovering from a cardiac event or procedure.

Cardiac Rehabilitation Phase I

The first phase is provided to patients who are admitted to the hospital for some cardiac events.

Cardiac Rehabilitation Phase II

Group cardiac rehabilitation classes meet for 90 minutes twice a week for up to 12 weeks.

The purpose of the program is to help participants strengthen their hearts, learn about heart-healthy living by:

Establishing a personalized exercise program
Learning how to manage their conditions and prevent other occurrences
Adjusting to the emotions that accompany heart disease
Getting support services, if needed

Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Phase III

This program features a more independent approach to physical fitness for those with cardiac and pulmonary conditions. It involves supervised exercise times to improve strength, endurance, and wellness.

Are There Any Risks Associated with Cardiac Rehabilitation?

You will be under constant observation of trained health care professionals throughout your program, but you should be aware that there are certain changes that could occur during an exercise session. Specific risks include abnormal blood sugar, blood pressure, fainting, abnormal heartbeat, and rare instances of heart attack or sudden death. Emergency equipment and trained personnel are available should any unusual situation arise. To reduce these risks, you should follow your program as prescribed and know your training heart rate at all times (we will teach you how to monitor this). Should you experience chest pain or pressure, inform our staff immediately.

Physician Referrals

A physician’s referral is required for all Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center cardiac rehabilitation programs. The referring physician will be responsible for providing your medical care; we will keep them informed of you treatment and progress reports on a monthly basis.

Your physician must provide us with the following information prior to acceptance into the program: