Cardiac Rehabilitation
What Is "Cardiac Rehab"?
Cardiac Rehabilitation is a "comprehensive, long-term program involving medical evaluation, prescribed exercise, cardiac risk factor modification, education and counseling" to individuals with cardiac disease. Cardiac rehab is an especially important component of healthcare because cardiac disease is the number one cause of mortality in the United States today.
Cardiac Rehabilitation Phase II: Early Outpatient
Phase II cardiac rehab is designed for individuals who have or have had:
- Stable angina
- Coronary angioplasty and/or stenting
- Heart attack
- Coronary bypass surgery
- Heart valve repair or replacement
- Heart or heart-lung transplant
The benefits of cardiac rehab include:
- Improvement in exercise tolerance
- Knowledge of safe exercise methods
- Knowledge of heart health food choices and meal planning
- Increase in strength to perform normal activities
- Improvement in symptoms (angina, shortness of breath, fatigue)
- Improvement in blood lipid (cholesterol) levels
- Reduction in elevated blood pressure
- Weight reduction
- Reduction of stress
- Relief from depression, fear, anxiety
- Reduced risk of future heart problems
- Reduction in mortality
- Improved health-related quality of life
By taking part in cardiac rehab, patients are given the opportunity to develop healthy, more active lifestyles with close monitoring and assistance of cardiac rehab nurses.
Phase II cardiac rehab is typically reimbursed through Medicare and some other insurance carriers for the diagnoses listed above. A physician’s referral is required.
Cardiac Rehabilitation Phase III/IV: Maintenance and Prevention
Phase III cardiac rehab is a supervised exercise program that assists individuals as they learn to manage their overall cardiovascular health. It is designed for those with known risk factors, for those with existing heart problems, or for those simply wishing to improve their level of cardiovascular fitness in a more supervised and individual setting.
For individuals with multiple risk factors, Aspirus Keweenaw fitness centers may not be appropriate. In those cases, Phase III cardiac rehab is an excellent option to begin an exercise program with the assistance of a cardiac rehab nurse.
Phase III cardiac rehab programs are typically not reimbursed through Medicare or other insurance carriers.
Located on the North end of the hospital building on the Second Floor. Hours of Operation: Monday through Friday,
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM and by appointment (906) 337-6528
