Cardiac Rehabilitation Program

The Cardiac Rehabilitation Program at Sacred Heart Hospital helps patients with cardiovascular disease achieve active, healthy lifestyles. Open to anyone with a history of heart disease, our medically supervised exercise program provides the tools needed to help regain quality of life following a cardiac event.

We see patients on both an inpatient and outpatient basis. For hospitalized patients, our goal is to ensure that patients are able to tolerate activity, without experiencing cardiac symptoms, before their discharge. We also educate patients about physical activity programs and cardiac risk factors such as high cholesterol, elevated blood pressure, diabetes, stress, smoking and weight.

Our outpatient program is a continuation of the inpatient program, but takes place in the Sacred Heart Hospital Cardiac Rehabilitation Lab. Patients are supervised as they participate in monitored, hour-long exercise sessions three times a week. Each session is individualized and includes an aerobic component as well as resistance training, if appropriate. Participants also are encouraged to attend weekly education classes to learn more about diet, stress, medications and other relevant topics.

Our Cardiac Rehabilitation department is comprised of exercise specialists and registered nurses, all of whom are ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support)-certified. Our medical director, department director, other physicians, a cardiac nurse educator and dietitians round out our team.

Our program is nationally certified through the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR), and our protocols are derived from the American College of Sports Medicine guidelines and AACVPR guidelines.

For more information about our program, call the Cardiac Rehabilitation staff at (715) 717-4377.