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Phase I begins in the hospital after heart surgery, a heart attack or
other treatment. Because Rhea Medical Center does not perform major
heart surgery, this stage of your rehab may take place in the hospital
where you had your surgery and usually consists of two monitored
exercise sessions each day. The program continues in Phase II in an
outpatient setting after you have been discharged from the hospital
Rhea Medical Center’s outpatient cardiac rehab program begins during
this phase and typically begins two to three weeks following hospital
discharge. Phase II usually consists of one-hour sessions, three times
each week for twelve weeks. Phase II provides:
Exercise: Following your doctor’s referral to the
program, an orientation visit is scheduled and an initial evaluation
and health history is completed by the cardiac rehabilitation
registered nurse.
Subsequent sessions begin with a warm-up period, followed by an
aerobic conditioning period. Patients rotate through exercise stations
that include bicycle and arm ergometry, treadmill walking, and
stepping. A cool-down and relaxation period follows the exercise
session.
Education: Weekly education programs help patients
identify potential cardiac risk factors and encourage the reduction of
such risks through healthy heart living. Education topics include:
stress management, smoking cessation, dietary influences such as
cholesterol and sodium reduction, and exercise. Learning to change
one’s lifestyle in addition to exercise is equally important.
Encouragement: The cardiac rehabilitation registered
nurse is present during all exercise and education programs. Supportive
relationships also develop through association with others who have had
similar experiences.
Phase III, sometimes referred to as “maintenance,” provides a safe
environment for continued exercise after completion of Phase II.
Participants attend three days each week for a small monthly fee. The
sessions are supervised by a cardiac rehabilitation nurse.
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