Cardiac Rehabilitation
Experiencing a cardiac event such as a heart attack or heart
surgery can be frightening, and you might feel anxious to
return to life as normal as quickly as possible or you might feel
scared of the future. Cardiac rehabilitation
programmes are designed to help you get back on with your life.
What is cardiac rehabilitation?
Cardiac rehabilitation is a treatment programme to help heart
patients manage their condition, improve their health and recover
their quality of life after a cardiac event, such
as a heart attack or heart surgery.
Rehabilitation programmes vary, but it’s likely to begin when
you’re admitted to hospital and continue after you leave hospital.
You’ll have a team of staff helping you, including nurses,
physiotherapists, psychologists and exercise instructors.
- A cardiac rehabilitation programme usually includes:
- Exercise
- Education and advice
- Relaxation and emotional support
- A chance to meet others going through similar experiences
When will I start cardiac rehabilitation?
Ideally, cardiac rehabilitation will begin when you are admitted
to hospital. In most hospitals, a member of the cardiac
rehabilitation team will come to see you on the ward to
give you information about your condition and about the treatment
you have had. They can discuss your recovery with you and answer
questions about when you can get back to your usual activities.
Your cardiac rehabilitation programme will continue after you
leave hospital. Some rehabilitation teams will offer you support
during your first few weeks at home by visiting you or phoning you
to see how you are. Others may offer a helpline service or put you
in touch with your local heart support group.
If you would like to find out where your nearest heart support
group is, please call our Heart HelpLine on
0300 330 3311. In some areas of the UK, the nurse
that visits you at home may be a BHF nurse.
Find your local cardiac rehab
group.
More information
Visit our Publications
section for our:
Cardiac rehabilitation booklet
Rehabilitation CD/cassette
Cardiac rehabilitation DVD - Aimed at
the south Asian community and translated into Urdu/Hindi, Gujarati,
Punjabi, Bengali and also available in English
You may also like to subscribe to our free bi-annual
magazine
Heart Health
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