The Cardiac Rehabilitation Program at Arkansas Methodist Medical Center focuses on individuals who have heart disease or who are at high risk for developing heart disease. With your physician's referral, the cardiac rehabilitation team will establish a personalized program tailored to meet each patient's cardiac rehabilitation needs and capabilities. Patients graduate from the program with improvement in strength and endurance as well as overall health and wellness.

When used in conjunction with your medical and/or surgical treatment, cardiac rehabilitation is a safe and effective way to help you:

• Feel better faster
• Get stronger physically and emotionally
• Reduce and manage stress
• Reduce your risk of future cardiovascular complications and conditions
• Live longer and live well

You will benefit from a cardiac rehab program if you have or have had:

• Angina
• Heart Attack
• Open Heart Surgery, including bypass surgery and valve replacement
• Angioplasty
• Stent
• Heart Transplant
• CHF (under specific guidelines) 

Patient Education

At Arkansas Methodist Medical Center, Cardiac Rehabilitation patients attend classes three times a week. These classes concentrate on exercise and other important aspects of daily living such as good nutrition, healthy eating habits, weight control, smoking cessation, diabetes, cardiac risk factors and cholesterol and stress management. Spouses, care-givers and family members are also strongly encouraged to attend these classes.

• Phase II  This program involves aerobic and strength conditioning. This phase emphasizes a specialized exercise program designed to help patients reach their full potential. Patients wear a telemetry heart monitor so that the cardiac rehabilitation staff can safely monitor a patient's progress throughout a 12-week period. The monitor provides continuous feedback on the body's responses to exercise, ensures safety, indicates appropriate responses for progression, and keeps careful watch over a patient's blood pressure, heart rate, and rhythm. Throughout the program, each patient's physician is continuously updated on his or her progress.
• Pre-Wellness Program  This program is designed for those patients who don't fall under the traditional guidelines for admission into Cardiac Rehabilitation such as those individuals who suffer from illness such as obesity, lung disease, or diabetes. With a physician's referral, patients attend 18 exercise sessions and educational classes for 6 weeks that focus on important aspects of daily living, such as good nutrition, healthy eating habits, weight control, smoking cessation, diabetes, cardiac risk factors, and cholesterol and stress management. Cost is $75 and is not covered by insurance.

The Cardiac Rehabilitation Department at Arkansas Methodist Medical Center establishes a safe and effective program to start each patient on the road to recovery.

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