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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffCardiac rehabilitation — also called cardiac rehab — is a customized program of exercise and education. Cardiac rehabilitation is designed to help you recover from a heart attack, other forms of heart disease or surgery to treat heart disease.
Cardiac rehabilitation is often divided into phases that involve monitored exercise, nutritional counseling, emotional support, and support and education about lifestyle changes to reduce your risks of heart problems. The goals of cardiac rehabilitation are to help you regain strength, to prevent your condition from worsening and to reduce your risk of future heart problems.
Cardiac rehabilitation programs increase your chances of survival. Both the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology recommend cardiac rehabilitation programs.
- Cardiac rehabilitation. American Heart Association. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4490. Accessed April 29, 2011.
- Cardiac rehabilitation. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/rehab/rehab_all.html. Accessed April 29, 2011.
- Balady GJ, et al. Core components of cardiac rehabilitation/secondary prevention programs: 2007 update. Circulation. 2007;115:2675.
- Thomas RJ, et al. AACVPR/ACC/AHA 2007 performance measures on cardiac rehabilitation for referral to and delivery of cardiac rehabilitation/secondary prevention services. Circulation. 2007;116:1611.
- Williams MA, et al. Clinical evidence for a health benefit from cardiac rehabilitation: An update. American Heart Journal. 2006;152:835.
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