
The cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation program allows you to safely exercise with a heart condition or after heart surgery under the supervision of trained professionals.
If you have had a heart attack or been diagnosed with a heart condition, you may feel uncomfortable about starting to exercise or making other lifestyle changes that your doctor recommends. You can safely improve your physical conditioning and gain confidence with doing regular exercise under the supervision of the trained professionals in the cardiovascular and pulmonary rehabilitation program.
The professionals in cardiac rehabilitation include:
They help you establish heart-healthy habits like getting regular exercise, eating a low fat diet, reducing stress and, not smoking.
Although emergencies in the rehab setting are rare, the Cardiac Rehab Team is trained to deal with them.
Benefits of Cardiac & Pulmonary Rehabilitation:
Cardiac and Pulmonary Education Classes
Location:
MWHC Cardiac & Pulmonary Rehabilitation
Cardiopulmonary Health and Fitness, a department of Mary Washington Hospital
1201-B Sam Perry Boulevard, Suite 240
(Mary Washington Hospital Campus)
Fredericksburg, VA 22401
540.741.1447 Phone
540.741.1350 Fax
Nicole Hinkle-Klaus and Shari Deneke with Mary Washington Healthcare visited Town Talk with Ted Schubel to talk about the programs and work of Mary Washington Healthcare Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation. They also discussed how to establish heart-healthy habits.
Cardiac (Heart) Patients
Pulmonary (Lung) Patients
Your first meeting with the Cardiac Rehab Team occurs in the cardiac stepdown unit following your surgery. They will teach you how to handle your transition from hospital to home physically and emotionally. During Phase I of your treatment, a rehab team member may help you begin a program of progressive exercises so you can regain your strength and leave the hospital ready for Phase II-early outpatient rehabilitation.
During Phase II you follow an individualized program designed by your Cardiac Rehab Team and your doctor based on a complete, non-invasive and painless evaluation of your physical functioning. No matter what your fitness level or experience is, your Cardiac Rehab Team shows you how to follow your program at a safe, comfortable pace during three, one-hour sessions each week.
This phase will help you:
During group exercise sessions supervised by a cardiac nurse you will wear a heart monitor, and your blood pressure will be consistently monitored to assure you are doing well. Should there be any sign of a problem, medical equipment and expertise are readily available.
This phase typically lasts 6-18 weeks with a total of 36 sessions. You should also attend weekly educational sessions on topics regarding lifestyle changes to help you reduce cardiac risk factors. There are five classes:
External Enhanced Counterpulsation (EECP®) Therapy
External Enhanced Counterpulsation is a safe, non-invasive outpatient treatment for ischemic heart diseases such as angina and heart failure. EECP® Therapy typically improves symptoms, exercise performance, and quality of life. Most patients sustain its benefits for more than two years.
Treatments are administered one hour a day, five days a week, for a total of 35 sessions. Patients lie comfortably on a table with large blood-pressure-like cuffs wrapped around their calves, thighs, and hips. The cuffs inflate and deflate at specific times between heartbeats, increasing blood and oxygen supply to the heart muscle, which improves its ability to pump blood throughout the body.
Talk with your doctor to see if EECP® Therapy is right for you.
To have lasting benefits from cardiac rehabilitation, you must make a lifelong commitment to exercise. The American Heart Association recommends that you join an exercise group, local gym, mall walkers program or start a walking group in your neighborhood. Our Phase III Cardiac Rehab program enables you to continue following your personal program in our medically supervised setting where you will receive support and encouragement as well as ongoing coordination of your care with your physician. It’s a great way to stick with the good exercise routines and healthy lifestyle choices you learned during Phase II.
Other tips for individuals having trouble exercising on their own include:
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