UK Gill Heart Institute Stresses Importance of Cardiac Rehabilitation

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 13, 2013) - For most heart attack survivors, life is seen as "before the attack" and "after the attack."

The goal of cardiac rehab is to provide the right medical and emotional support so that patients can embrace their lives completely again.

The Gill Heart Institute is celebrating National Cardiac Rehabilitation Week in hopes of raising awareness of the important role cardiac rehab plays in reducing the physical and emotional damaging effects of heart disease. The theme is “Healing Hearts and Touching Lives.”

“Cardiac rehab is a place to regain an active life with the safety and support of a cardiac care team,” said Dr. Alison Bailey, director of the cardiac rehab program at the Gill Heart Institute. “Our cardiac rehab team work together to ensure that each patient learns about optimal cardiovascular health, while regaining their strength and independence in a safe and monitored environment.”

By participating in cardiac rehab, survivors learn how to become well and stay well. The Gill Heart Institute’s cardiac rehabilitation and wellness program offers a multidisciplinary approach that includes physicians, nurses, exercise physiologists and dietitians who will help participants achieve the best cardiovascular health possible.

Patients are eligible, from an insurance standpoint, up to a year after the following diagnoses:

• Heart attack (STEMI or NSTEMI)
• PCI
• Stable Angina
• CABG
• Valve repair or replacement
• Heart Transplant

Patients who attend cardiac rehab after a cardiac event, such as a heart attack or major heart surgery, are more likely to be alive in five years and less likely to suffer another cardiac event and have improved quality of life, medication adherence, and better tobacco cessation rates

A medically supervised service, cardiac rehab also addresses topics - no matter how sensitive - from individual participants. The discussions include weight loss, stress reduction, smoking secession and exercise.

To learn more about the Gill Heart Institute’s Cardiac Rehabilitation and Wellness Program, visit http://ukhealthcare.uky.edu/gill/cardiac-rehab/ or by calling (859) 323-5424 to speak with a wellness counselors.