If you’re suffering from a chronic or acute cardiac condition, or recovering from cardiac surgery, your healthcare provider may refer you for cardiac rehabilitation. Cardiac rehab has been proven to have significant benefits for patients: It can improve your quality of life, help you manage or reduce cardiac symptoms, and even lengthen your life.
Here's a detailed breakdown of the four stages of cardiac rehabilitation—the acute, subacute, outpatient, and maintenance phases—along with insights about what happens at each stage and a look at potential benefits and goals you can aim for as you move through your recovery from a cardiac event or condition.
What it is: Cardiac rehab is a comprehensive, medically supervised recovery program, specifically designed for patients with heart disease.
Which patients should consider it: Cardiac rehab may be beneficial for patients with any kind of heart condition, including coronary artery disease, angina, heart failure, and heart attack, and those recovering from heart surgery.
How does it work: Typically, a cardiac rehab program will begin with a careful analysis of a patient's condition and needs, followed by a supervised, progressive exercise regimen and education on a heart-healthy lifestyle and medications.
A cardiac rehabilitation program will likely progress through four main phases:
Patients with acute heart conditions, like those recovering from heart surgery or a heart attack, may be referred to a cardiac rehab team while still in the hospital. This phase will likely last between two and five days, depending on your physical condition.
During this phase, cardiac rehab specialists will provide you with support and information as you begin recovery. Your cardiac rehab team may run the following tests:
They’ll also take a full medical history to identify any particular risk areas or comorbidities (other diseases that might complicate your recovery).
You may receive education and training on:
You’ll be closely observed to make sure you don’t experience any worsening symptoms or risk another cardiac event.
You may be assigned an acute care physical therapist, who will design a carefully monitored, progressive, and very limited exercise program to get you back on your feet again. This might initially involve just sitting up in bed, standing, and testing your range of motion, before moving onto short walks around the hospital wing.
Your cardiac rehab team will also be able to provide you with a plan for leaving the hospital. They’ll assess your ability to walk, your need for oxygen, and any additional training or medical needs you may have before you return home. They may also work with your family or loved ones to ensure you have adequate care and support when you’re discharged.
The main goal for the first phase of cardiac rehabilitation is to enable you to leave the hospital and return home as quickly and safely as possible. You’ll work with doctors, nurses, and physical therapists or other specialists to design a safe and appropriate discharge plan. By the end of this phase, you should have:
Phase II takes place after you leave the hospital and begin care at a specialized inpatient care facility. This phase lasts between three and six weeks.
The primary focus of this phase is to provide specialized care at an inpatient facility to help you eventually return safely back to your daily life. You’ll receive more extensive training on managing your condition and guidance on how to use your medication and reduce the risk of cardiac events.
A top inpatient cardiac rehab facility like Rehab Select is staffed by expert rehab professionals who will review how your heart responds to gradually increasing levels of exercise and activity. Staff will create a personalized program with a progressive schedule designed to aid in your recovery. These practical techniques will enable you regain strength, manage stress effectively, and begin your journey to full recovery.
During Phase II, you’ll:
While some patients with less intense cardiac conditions may enter Phase III directly, most will need to complete Phases I and II before moving on.
Patients in Phase II are closely supervised in inpatient facilities and still severely affected by their heart condition, while Phase III introduces more independent exercises and self-monitoring. When vital signs remain stable during increased activity, it’s a good sign that you’re ready to move to Phase III.
Typically, a full Phase III cardiac exercise and training rehab program will comprise 36 outpatient sessions, though some patients may need fewer sessions and/or less supervision. This stage is often covered by health insurance.
A team of cardiac rehab specialists, including doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, and nutritionists, will build on the individualized activity plans you developed in Phase II to encourage greater self-management. In many cases, teams will increase the level of activity in those plans and teach patients how to monitor their own progress.
Your level of exercise will depend on how fit you were before your cardiac condition, your current stamina and ability, your symptoms, and a number of other health factors.
An outpatient physical therapist will evaluate you before you begin, taking careful note of your range of motion, muscle strength, resting heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, endurance levels, and any issues with scar mobility if you’ve had surgery.
Your cardiac rehab exercise sessions will usually include a warm-up, cardiovascular exercise (such as the use of a stationary bike or treadmill), and cooldown. Depending on your physical condition, you may also be advised to include some resistance training. You’ll be encouraged to monitor your own response to exercise, including your heart rate, level of exertion, and blood pressure.
During this phase, it’s important to ensure you have all the information you need to maximize your quality of life, manage your symptoms, and feel confident that you can look after yourself despite your heart condition. Training at this stage will probably focus on:
The main goal for Phase III of cardiac rehab is to give you the tools to manage your heart condition on your own and live a longer, happier, and healthier life.
When you complete your outpatient rehab program, you should have a clear idea of how to:
Hopefully, you’ll have successfully stopped smoking and made any necessary lifestyle changes to promote your overall well-being. Ideally, you’ll experience fewer symptoms from your heart condition and be less likely to have a second event or need to return to the hospital.
If you’ve completed the previous three stages of cardiac rehabilitation, you should have a clear grasp of your heart condition and how best to manage it. Phase IV essentially continues for the rest of your life.
During Phase IV, you should continue to follow guidance on exercise, nutrition, and lifestyle from your rehab team. You may continue independently, or you may decide to self-fund further training with a physical therapist to help support you as you progress.
There are also qualified gym instructors who can offer ongoing exercise training. You should receive regular check-ups with your healthcare provider to make sure you’re effectively managing your heart condition and avoid any flare-ups.
The goals of Phase IV are to:
At Rehab Select, we offer specialized cardiac rehabilitation in Alabama for both acute and chronic heart conditions. Our experienced staff can guide you through the phases of cardiac rehab at one of our five Alabama locations with a personalized, physician-led program to improve your heart health and quality of life. To find out more about cardiac care at Rehab Select, please click here or contact us for more information.
Cardiac rehabilitation is a medical recovery program supervised by a medical professional. Patients with heart conditions or who have recently undergone cardiac surgery should participate in cardiac rehab to aid in recovery, learn about heart-healthy habits, and get support from trained professionals.
The four phases of cardiac rehab are:
Depending on the phase, patients might receive supervision, education, and support from professionals such as cardiac surgeons, physical therapists, occupational therapists, outpatient physicians, discharge professionals, or home health aides.
Rehab Select offers cardiac rehab services throughout Alabama. Specialists provide personalized treatment and recovery plans, as well as education on building a heart-healthy lifestyle. Our goal is to help you gain the tools, knowledge, and support needed to return to a full, healthy life following a cardiac event.