Phases of Cardiac Rehabilitation

Following a cardiac rehabilitation program is the best way to overcome a cardiac irregularity. Along with the heart irregularity, the rehabilitation also helps in getting back to normal after heart surgeries. Rehabilitation also proves helpful to avoid heart problems which may occur in future. There are in all 4 phases of cardiac rehabilitation. They are explained below.

Phase 1:

The Phase 1 cardiac rehabilitation starts at the hospital. Physicians give Phase 1 instructions for patients who have suffered a heart attack, undergone angioplasty, cardiac Catheterization or even patients with congestive heart failure. The cardiac patient and his family are educated on the signs/symptoms of a heart attack and the cardiovascular risk factors. They are also given instructions about the do's and don'ts of the patient. As appropriate, patients are given home-exercises like hand twisting, leg movements and even slow walking guidelines etc. Patients with Congestive Heart Failure are given more attention and they are educated about salt/sodium restrictions, review of the signs & symptoms and daily weight checks in depth which are necessary for the recovery from congestive heart failure. At the end of this phase, a patient is given assistance by a psychologist over distressing and being strong mentally.

Phase 2:

Phase 2 is the initial outpatient phase of the recovery program. Patients are taught special cardiac exercise in the Cardiac Rehabilitation department of the hospital. Here the patient's response to exercise is constantly measured and analyzed by the staff of nurses and exercise physiologists. The patients in Phase 2 are supervised on Telemetry Monitors for the whole duration of their rehabilitation program. Along with the exercise sessions, the rehabilitation process also includes the individual and group education about the cardiovascular risk factors. All patients are allowed to share their experience as it is an open forum.

Phase 3:

The phase 3 cardiac rehabilitation generally starts at the 8th week after the heart attack. If surgery is performed; phase 3 starts around 12th week. It is also known as the maintenance phase. In this Phase 3 the patients are given training in how to react to emergency situations, how to control the blood pressure, how to control diabetes etc. In this level the intensity of exercises is also increased by a bit and the patients are observed carefully while exercising. The physician also lowers down the quantity of medicine dosage. Phase 3 tries to bring back the patients to normal and to prepare them for discharge from the hospital. The time period for this phase is not specified but generally normal patients complete the Phase 3 in 7-8 weeks.

Phase 4:

This phase is an ongoing process. i.e. there are some instructions which have to be followed by the heart patient throughout his life. The patient has to monitor his blood pressure, sugar level, heart beat rate on regular basis. He has to approach the doctor as soon as he feels any trouble with the heart. He must be always in a healthy peace of mind which helps to control the blood pressure. The most important instruction is that the patient has to strictly avoid heavy physical exertion.

By following the above mentioned 4 Phases of rehabilitation processes a heart patient is sure to control his heart disability and live a healthy and trouble-free life.