The Robert F. Schaper Heart Center
Cardiac Rehabilitation
Cardiac Rehabilitation is located at the Robert F. Schaper Heart Center across from the Chapel. Our services are available from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Services are also available on Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, please call Cardiac Rehabilitation at 281.401.7733.
What Is Cardiac Rehabilitation?
Cardiac Rehab, as it is commonly known, is a program that that provides supervised exercise and education for people who have heart problems. The program is designed to safely and gradually increase exercise over a period of weeks. The purpose of cardiac rehab is to assist patients in their return to normal levels of activity. A cardiac rehab program typically lasts from 4 to 12 weeks, but may last longer.
Who Needs Cardiac Rehab?
Most people who use cardiac rehab are people who have survived a heart attack. People recovering from heart surgery or coronary angioplasty and people with other heart problems, including angina (chest pain), may also enroll in the program. Some cardiac rehab programs focus on otherwise healthy individuals who are out of shape and at-risk for heart disease.
What Is A Typical Cardiac Rehab Program?
Phase 1 begins in the hospital. Gradual exercise is started for those recovering from a heart attack or cardiac surgery. Phase 1 exercise activities usually include short walks and stretching activities for the muscles. Nurses will watch each patient and check blood pressure and pulse rate before and after exercise. The nurse will also review educational materials that discuss heart disease, nutrition and strategies for reducing cardiovascular risk factors.
Phase 2 of cardiac rehab is completed as an outpatient. All patients are scheduled for one-hour exercise sessions, three times a week for about 12 weeks. Registered nurses, respiratory therapists and clinical exercise physiologists supervise exercise activities during phase 2. Exercise intensity is safely and gradually increased with the intent to help you significantly improve your cardiovascular health and fitness level. In addition, our program seeks to increase your confidence about your ability to return to work and/or resume your normal daily activities.
Learning about your disease is almost as important as exercise. During the stay in the hospital, most people are anxious and stressed. Both patients and their families have a hard time remembering what the doctors and nurses have told them about the cardiovascular disease. Our program provides courteous, attentive and comprehensive care that will assist you and your family during this difficult time. During Phase 2 you will learn about heart disease, how to take care of yourself, and how to avoid problems in the future.
Phase 3, or “Cardiac Wellness,” is a lifelong extension of proper exercise and lifestyle habits. Although your doctor can offer you guidelines for eating and exercising, The Cardiac Wellness program at Texas Sports Medicine Center can assist you in your commitment to exercise and healthy habits in a supervised exercise area.
What Are the Benefits of Cardiac Rehab?
Cardiac rehab is clinically proven to improve the patient’s quality of life and to reduce recurrence of subsequent heart attacks and other conditions associated with heart disease.
*Research has shown that cardiac rehab participants have:
- Reduced their risk of cardiac death by 26%,
- Experienced 21% fewer nonfatal heart attacks, 13% fewer bypass surgeries and 19% fewer angioplasties, and
- Increased their capacity to perform physical activity
In addition, cardiac rehab can help you return to work sooner and help you resume an active lifestyle. Perhaps one of the most valuable benefits of cardiac rehab is the improved quality of life. People who have been through the program report feeling healthier and happier than they did before heart disease disabled them.
*Source: Cardiac Rehabilitation and Secondary Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease. An American Heart Association Scientific Statement From the Council on Clinical Cardiology and the Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Metabolism, in Collaboration With the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (Circulation. 2005;111:369-376.)
