Key Points

• Cardiac rehabilitation (rehab) is a medically supervised program that helps improve the health and well-being of people who have heart problems.
• Rehab includes exercise training, education on heart healthy living, and counseling to reduce stress and help you return to an active life.
• Cardiac rehab involves a long-term commitment from the patient and a team of health care provides, such as doctors, nurses, exercise specialists, physical and occupational therapists, dietitians or nutritionists, and psychologists or other mental health specialists.
• Many people with heart problems can benefit from cardiac rehab. Rehab can help people who have had a heart attack, angioplasty or coronary artery bypass grafting for coronary artery disease, heart valve repair or replacement, a heart transplant or a lung transplant, or stable angina.
• The goals of cardiac rehab are to help you recover after a heart attack or heart surgery, address risk factors for heart problems, adopt healthy lifestyle changes, and improve your health and quality of life.
• Your rehab team will work with you to meet your goals. You will do this through increased daily physical activity, following a heart healthy eating plan, quitting smoking, and improving your emotional health.
• Before starting any cardiac rehab program, your rehab team will assess your health. They will ask about your medical history and do a physical exam. They may order tests to check your overall health.
• During cardiac rehab, your team will help create physical activity and heart healthy eating plans. They will work with you to reduce your risk factors for heart problems. If you feel sad, anxious, angry, or isolated, the team can help you get treatment to improve your emotional health.
• The lifestyle changes you make during cardiac rehab have few risks. Physical activity may have some risks, but it’s very safe in the rehab setting. Very rarely, it may cause serious problems.
• Cardiac rehab has many benefits. It can improve your overall health and quality of life and reduce your overall chance of dying, the chance of future heart problems, and the chance of dying from a heart attack. It also can decrease pain and lessen the chance that you will have to go back to the hospital or emergency room for a heart problem.