Cardiac rehabilitation

Cardiac rehabilitation

What is it?

Cardiac rehabilitation (CR), or heart rehabilitation, is a supported intervention delivered using a variety of therapies to help you to recover and get back to as full a life as possible after a cardiac event.

Who are we?

The CR Department at the Wye Valley Trust provides cardiac rehabilitation services to patients throughout Herefordshire.

Who is it for?

Anyone who has, or has had:

• a heart attack (MI)
• unstable angina
• angioplasty (sometimes known as percutaneous intervention or PCI)
• a stent
• a heart transplant
• coronary artery bypass graft (CABG)
• aortic valve replacement (AVR)
• Trans-catheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI).

What are the benefits?

Research has shown that cardiac rehabilitation can reduce both your risk of having another cardiac event and being readmitted to hospital. It has also been shown to improve your general fitness and perceived quality of life.

Cardiac rehabilitation is considered an essential intervention for recovery and long-term management for your heart condition.

How do we do it?

The cardiac rehabilitation team will help you with:

• understanding your condition
• recovering from your surgery, procedure or heart attack
• making changes to your lifestyle that will help improve your heart health
• reducing the risk of further heart problems
• the psychological aspects of living with a heart condition

What happens next?

A CR nurse will either see you as a patient on a ward or contact you at home. You may then be given an appointment for a health assessment and discuss your suitability to participate in a cardiac rehabilitation programme. The CR programme is eight weeks of support using a combination of exercise and education and this can be delivered in a number of ways i.e. a gym or as a telephone-based home programme.

What to do if you get chest pain

1. Stop what you are doing/sit down and rest
2. 1-2 sprays of GTN/tablet under the tongue (if available)
3. If the pain is not relieved by 5 minutes 1-2 sprays of GTN/tablet under the tongue (if available)
4. If the pain is not relieved after a further 5 minutes call 999