What is cardiac rehabilitation?

Cardiac rehab is a specialised program that is offered at hospitals throughout Australia with guidance from cardiologists, cardiac nurses, dietitians, exercise physiologists and mental healthcare providers (e.g. social workers, occupational therapists and sometimes a psychologists). Cardiac rehab is encouraged and recommended by your doctors if you’ve had a cardiac event or surgery. The aim of Cardiac rehab is to support people in their recovery, reduce the risk of future heart problems, prevent the heart condition from worsening and improve the quality of life of patients.

Heart Research Australia, in association with Royal North Shore Hospital and North Shore Private Hospital, has created the video below to provide information about what cardiac rehab is and why it is important for eligible patients to participate after a cardiac event.

Hear Ann Kirkness speak on the Health Ed Podcast about the importance of cardiac rehab below:

Who is cardiac rehab for?

Cardiac rehabilitation is available to anyone who has had:

  • Heart Attack
  • Angioplasty and stenting Arrythmias (eg:  Atrial Fibrillation)
  • Cardiomyopathy
  • Some congenital heart diseases
  • Chest pain (stable angina)
  • Coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG)
  • Coronary artery disease
  • Heart failure
  • Heart or lung transplant
  • Heart valve repair or replacement
  • Peripheral artery disease with pain in the arms or legs during activity (claudication)

How does cardiac rehab help?

Cardiac rehabilitation programs will help you to:

  • understand your condition
  • recover from your surgery, procedure or heart attack
  • make changes to your lifestyle that will help improve your heart health
  • reduce the risk of further heart problems.

What does a cardiac rehab program include?

  • Medical assessment – the healthcare team assesses your physical abilities, review your medical history and risk for heart complications to create a safe, effective cardiac rehabilitation program, with frequent checkups for monitoring progress
  • Exercise –A supervised exercise program will help you gradually increase your fitness and strength as well as improve your confidence. The program incorporates aerobic (for example, walking, cycling), strength and balance training. Each session is tailored to meet individual needs and abilities. The cardiac rehab team can help you to meet your individual goals so that you can return to work, exercise or activities that are important to you.
  • Lifestyle education – Cardiac rehab offers support and education on healthy lifestyle changes such as the importance of a heart-healthy diet, regular exercise, managing stress and risk factors such as smoking, high blood pressure (hypertension), diabetes, cholesterol and weight management
  • Support – recovery from a recent cardiac event or surgery  can be challenging, sometimes causing feelings of depression (cardiac blues) and anxiety. The Cardiac Rehab team and your GP can support you on your journey and can also help direct you to additional support if required.

When do I start cardiac rehabilitation?

Cardiac rehabilitation starts as soon as you go into hospital for heart surgery or treatment, or after you’ve had a heart attack.

A member of the cardiac rehabilitation team will normally visit you on the ward to provide you with information about your condition, the treatment you’ve had and your recovery. This will help you get back to your usual activities as soon as possible.

You should also be invited to join a cardiac rehabilitation program soon after you leave the hospital.

The importance of cardiac rehabilitation for patient recovery

Heart Research Australia supports and promotes cardiac rehabilitation for those who have suffered from a cardiac event, as it helps you get stronger, reduce the risks of future heart issues, prevents the condition from worsening, and most importantly improves the quality of life for cardiac patients.

In the rehabilitation program, you receive regular medical checkups, exercise, education, and support. Once you complete the program, most patients feel better than they did before their cardiac event. This improvement is due to following heart-healthy behaviours, improving strength, managing stress, anxiety and weight, and quitting bad habits such as smoking.

Where’s my nearest cardiac rehabilitation program?

You can find out where your nearest cardiac rehabilitation program is by visiting the Australian Cardiovascular Health and Rehabilitation Association website for their Program Directory.

Madi’s experience of cardiac rehab

“One of the reasons why cardiac rehabilitation was so important to me is that I was an avid dancer and wanted to perform at least one routine in the end of year concert which I was able to do with help of cardiac rehab. I even went skiing six months after my cardiac event.“

Read about Madi’s experience

Imagine being a 17-year-old girl, just released from hospital after emergency open-heart surgery, and attending a cardiac rehabilitation program at Royal North Shore Hospital. It was daunting and I felt out of place because I was so young. My team of doctors at Prince of Wales Hospital recommended the Cardiac Rehabilitation Program at Royal North Shore Hospital to aid my recovery. The program lasted 6-8 weeks, with visits 2-3 times per week.

I was born with aortic stenosis and had valve repair when I was born and was monitored yearly by my paediatric cardiologist. However, at the age of 17, I suffered from an aortic aneurysm rupture and subsequently a valve repair which changed my life completely. I was a fit and healthy young girl who danced regularly. Heart disease does not just affect the elderly; it can affect the younger generation as well.

When I attended my first day of cardiac rehab at 17, I felt extremely out of place as I was the youngest there by 30+ years. Initially, I didn’t want to attend the program because I couldn’t connect with others and didn’t see the benefits. However, with much persuasion from my parents and healthcare team, I completed the program and thoroughly enjoyed the frequent exercise and social connection in the end.

One of the reasons why cardiac rehabilitation was so important to me is that I was an avid dancer and wanted to perform at least one routine in the end of year concert which I was able to do with help of cardiac rehab. I even went skiing six months after my cardiac event. Cardiac rehabilitation helped me gain the strength I needed to continue regular exercise at my local gym which further helped me regain my strength and cardio fitness after cardiac rehab.

Read Madi’s full story here.

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