Cardiac rehabilitation is a physician-supervised program for people who have either congenital or acquired heart disease. Program participants may or may not have had a heart attack or heart surgery (or other heart procedures). Cardiac rehabilitation can often improve functional capacity, reduce symptoms, and create a sense of well-being for patients. A physician may prescribe cardiac rehabilitation for a patient in certain situations.

Conditions or cardiac procedures that may necessitate cardiac rehabilitation may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• congestive heart failure
• angina pectoris
• myocardial infarction
• post-open heart surgery
• post-heart transplantation
• balloon angioplasty
• pacemaker
• congenital heart disease
• arrhythmias
• rheumatic heart disease

Cardiac rehabilitation programs can be conducted while a person is a hospital inpatient or on an outpatient basis. Many skilled professionals are part of the cardiac rehabilitation team, including any/all of the following:

• cardiologist / cardiovascular surgeon
• physiatrist
• internist
• rehabilitation nurse
• dietitian
• physical therapist
• occupational therapist
• speech / language therapist
• psychologist / psychiatrist
• recreational therapist
• audiologist
• chaplain
• vocational therapist

A cardiac rehabilitation program is designed to meet the needs of the individual patient, depending upon the specific heart problem or disease, and should be supervised by a cardiac physician and a team of cardiac professionals.
The goal of cardiac rehabilitation is to help patients reverse their symptoms and maximize cardiac function. Cardiac rehabilitation includes, but is not limited to:

• develop an exercise program
• be knowledgeable about their risk factors
• learn about their heart condition
• be prepared for recovery at home