Cardiac Rehabilitation

Building a healthy lifestyle one step at a time

For cardiac patients, recovery continues after they leave the hospital. Adirondack Health now offers Phase II Cardiac Rehabilitation, helping patients make the lifestyle changes needed and providing the tools necessary to lead a healthy life.

Phase II Cardiac Rehabilitation (Phase II CR) is an optional program for patients who have suffered from a wide variety of cardiac events, including heart attacks, bypass surgery, valve replacement, stent insertion and other non-surgical heart conditions.

The goals of a Phase II program include:

• Offering cardiac patients a safe, monitored environment for exercise. Monitoring consists of measuring the patient's blood pressure, heart rate, electrical heart activity, heart and lung sounds.
• Increasing cardiac patients’ exercise capacity. This is one of the main goals of Phase II CR and is accomplished gradually over time.
• Teaching patients to monitor themselves while exercising. This includes self-monitoring of heart rate, exertion and respiratory comfort to prepare patients for sustained or life-long exercise participation.
• Relieving fear and anxiety. Patients are reassured that the lifestyle changes they are making will help maintain a high quality of life.
• Educating patients. Educational topics include stress management, dietary modifications to lower fat intake, smoking cessation, heart anatomy, sexual activity and cardiac medications.

Rehabilitation exercise consists largely of cardiovascular endurance. Patients may use a treadmill, bike or upper body ergometer to increase heart rate. The program also works on building patient strength.

Phase II CR is open to anyone who has experienced a cardiac event and most insurances are accepted. To learn more, or to enroll in the program, contact Heidi Reid, cardiac rehabilitation coordinator, at 518-897-2483.

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