Cardiac rehabilitation is a medically supervised program designed to help heart patients recover quickly and improve their overall physical and mental functioning. Cardiac rehabilitation may follow a heart-related surgery, heart attack or diagnosis of heart disease. These programs can be found at most hospitals or within local communities around the country. Typically, outpatient programs last 8 to 12 weeks. 

Every rehabilitation plan is tailored to meet the individual needs of each patient. The programs are designed and overseen by a physician (usually a cardiologist), along with a team of other health care professionals. This may include nurses, dietitians, occupational and physical therapists, psychologists, and health educators. Most programs, therefore, consist of carefully planned and supervised exercise training, nutritional counseling to lower dietary fat and cholesterol levels, stress management, and relaxation training, modification of coronary risk factors, and careful monitoring of cardiac health. Medications may or not be included as part of the rehabilitation program, depending on the results of various tests, including cholesterol and blood pressure tests.

Cardiac rehabilitation can help to reduce the risk of another cardiac event, or the worsening of a heart condition already present. Not only can cardiac rehabilitation improve the patient’s physical health, but it can also be helpful to the patient’s emotional well being if patients are struggling with depression – a common condition among recovering heart patients.

Unfortunately, recent studies indicate that only about 10 to 20 percent of heart patients attend cardiac rehabilitation programs, despite their proven benefit. In particular, women, elderly and minority patients are less likely to take advantage of a cardiac rehabilitation program.