WHEN CARDIAC REHABILITATION IS REQUIRED?
Image 1: Post-OP cardiac rehabilitation , Source: cedars-sinai.org
Cardiac rehabilitation is a multidisciplinary approach through which heart’s health is improved. It involves various exercise programs ,education, risk modifications and psychosocial counseling sessions, thereby reducing overall rates of death and rehospitalizations. Cardiac rehabilitation is usually advised before as well as after undergoing a cardiac surgery.
Before surgery
The cardiac rehabilitation program, before surgery, aims to improve your overall body functions. It mainly involves strength and endurance training, educational supports, lifestyle modification methods, stress management methods and healthy heart diet planning. Not only this but it also helps you to overcome post surgical stress with ease. This is done by promoting physiological-psychological readiness of your body, improving vital capacities, reducing sympathetic overactivity and improving insulin sensitivity. It reduces the chances of postoperative risk and complications and reduces hospital stay. This helps you in achieving your normal daily living tasks like grooming, housekeeping and resuming back to work at earliest.
After surgery
Physical activity and exercise based cardiac rehabilitation are thought to increase your cardiorespiratory fitness and reduce long-term cardiac mortality. Therefore it is considered very important after a surgery. It is usually divided into different phases where each phase has different goals, exercise intensity and type. Early mobilization after surgery has shown to be beneficial in your recovery. It includes gentle to brisk walking, different breathing exercises, low to high intensity exercises in order to maintain and/or improve the integrity and functions of vital organs and joints. Thus improving the overall vital capacity and oxygen saturation of the body.
To be noted that cardiologists and other specialists do not advise bedrest post surgery as this can further deteriorate the overall cardiac health. The rehabilitation after discharge continues either through hospital OPD basis or through cardiac rehabilitation centers. For complete recovery, the duration can be 4 months or more depending on the patient’s condition.
Long term maintenance through rehabilitation is important to reduce muscle fatigability, improve metabolism, enhance blood flow and reduce heavy breathing.
At later stages, long duration high intensity exercises are prescribed to improve your cardiovascular endurance, reduce muscular discomfort, increase independence and general sense of well being.