Mercy’s Outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation
After leaving the medical center, you are ready for Mercy’s Outpatient Program. This consists of individualized classes held three times a week at the Mercy Health Plaza.
The one-hour classes include a supervised exercise program to strengthen your cardiovascular system. The classes are conducted by Mercy’s team of registered nurses and exercise specialists who are trained in rehabilitation of cardiac patients.
The real benefit of this cardiac rehabilitation is that you are carefully monitored during exercise to ensure you can tolerate those activities. If you exercised before having a heart attack, the monitoring will determine if the activities you are returning to are safe. If you did not exercise before having a heart attack, this monitored exercise lowers your risk factors for future problems and increases overall cardiovascular fitness.
You will exercise on a variety of stationary bicycles and treadmills while connected to heart monitors. Heart rate is continually monitored and blood pressure is checked frequently before, during, and after exercise. The prescribed exercise is gradually increased according to your goals, response to the exercise, current level of activity, cardiac diagnosis, and stress test results.
We also discuss important components of “healthy heart living,” such as smoking cessation, medications, nutrition, energy conservation, heart disease, stress management, and reducing risk factors for heart disease. One of Mercy’s dietitians discusses the low-cholesterol, low-fat diet. Other experts will also visit to speak on various heart-related topics. We will help you develop an individualized home exercise program. We may recommend an individual consultation with the dietitian, as well as a pharmacist. Family is welcome and encouraged to attend these sessions.
Outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation helps you in regaining strength and returning to active and productive lives within the limitations of your disease after cardiac illness. We encourage “heart healthy” living to reduce the risk of future heart problems.
