Bethesda Heart Hospital

 Cardiac Rehabilitation

Bethesda Heart Hospital understands that the days and weeks following your cardiovascular surgery or procedure can feel overwhelming. That's why we offer a supportive and comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation program. Our goal is to provide you with a physically and emotionally safe place to recover at your own pace while under the supervision of our caring rehabilitation staff.

Your cardiologist or surgeon will most likely prescribe cardiac rehabilitation, which has three phases:

• Phase I occurs during your hospitalization and includes education and ambulation.
• Phase II begins usually 4-6 weeks after discharge from the hospital and typically lasts approximately 12 weeks. This phase consists of medically supervised, individualized exercise and education sessions 3 days a week.
• Phase III (also known as maintenance) begins immediately after completion of phase II and allows the guest to continue using the skills they learned at Cardiac Rehab in a supervised maintenance program or on their own in a fitness facility.

If you are interested in the program and have not been referred, we can work with your health care provider to obtain a referral as well as your insurance provider to determine if your costs will be covered.

Once enrolled in the cardiac rehabilitation program, you will have the benefit of working with our multidisciplinary team of professionals including nurses and exercise physiologists. The exercise component is supervised by exercise physiologists and nurses, who are all ACLS (advanced cardiac life support) certified, and in conjunction with your physician develop a program for you to build strength and endurance gradually and safely in our advanced cardiac rehabilitation center that features:

• treadmills
• elliptical trainers
• recumbent and upright bicycles
• recumbent cross trainers/NuSteps 
• hand weights

All physical activity is tailored to your personal interests, needs, and abilities and occurs in a monitored environment so that the staff is constantly aware of the status of your heart and how well it is tolerating the exercise in which you are engaged. The multi-disciplinary team will help you understand your condition and how you can prevent future problems by teaching you healthy lifestyle choices such as eating a balanced diet and engaging in stress-reduction activities.

Cardiac Rehabilitation programs have been shown to effectively improve health in both men and women. We will work with you as well as your family members to make your transition back to daily life as smooth as possible. In the process, you will increase your self-confidence, improve your physical fitness and prepare for a healthier lifestyle.

Benefits
Here are some of the benefits you may experience through our cardiac rehabilitation program: 

• Strengthen and condition your heart and lungs 
• Control weight and lower total cholesterol levels through good nutrition and physical activity 
• Understand your medications, the signs and symptoms of heart disease, and when to seek medical attention 
• Increase self-confidence 
• Lay the groundwork for the development of a healthier lifestyle 
• Reduce your symptoms and chances of experiencing another cardiac event 
• Return to work and activities of daily living more quickly 
• Develop coping and stress reduction skills, as well as relaxation techniques 
• Feel emotionally supported
   

For more information, contact Bethesda Cardiac Rehabilitation at (561)374-5469.
Bethesda Cardiac Rehabilitation has two convenient locations: