Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation at PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center

• Improvement in exercise tolerance
• Improvement in symptoms
• Improvement in blood lipid (cholesterol) levels
• Reduction in elevated blood pressure
• Weight reduction
• Reduction of stress
• Reduction in mortality (death)
• Improved Quality of Life

• What foods can I eat?
• What activities should I avoid?
• What kind of exercise is okay, and how much?
• What can I do to keep this from happening again?
• Just how healthy am I now?

Recovering from a heart event can be a frightening and confusing time for you and your family, a time when you probably have more questions than answers. Uncertainty over such questions can cause unnecessary anxiety and even delay your return to an active and enjoyable lifestyle.

So, whether you’re recovering from surgery or have been diagnosed with heart disease, there’s good reason to contact St. John Medical Center’s “Take Heart” Cardiac Rehabilitation program.

Our cardiac rehabilitation team includes physicians, exercise specialists, dietitians, nurses, pharmacists, spiritual care, and your own family. And, we all work toward one common goal – your return to an enjoyable and productive life. This program, carried out in three phases, is based on your particular needs and abilities.

Inpatient Monitored Phase:

A gradual increase in activity after a cardiac event aids in a successful and complete recovery. The cardiac rehabilitation team evaluates your tolerance to physical activities and establishes specific guidelines in preparation for your discharge from the hospital.

Outpatient Monitored Phase:

After you return home, the rehab team helps you regain strength and confidence through a progressive program of physical activity and emotional support. During exercise, you’ll be carefully monitored to evaluate your progress. Both you and your family receive counseling about diet and lifestyle modifications that will keep you healthy. Educational sessions covering heart functions, risk factors, stress management, medications and nutrition are also provided both in individual meetings and in small group sessions.

Exercise classes are one hour in length, three times per week. The exercise is in a group setting with each patient carrying out their individual program.

Supervised “Graduate” Phase:

This phase includes aerobic exercise, calisthenics, and upper-body work to help you maintain your healthy lifestyle as well as mutual support and encouragement from other patients and their families. This phase is available for patients who want to continue to exercise in a supervised setting.

Graduate phase is a self-pay program that can be joined by anyone with a referral from a physician. The Cardiac Rehab staff will gladly assist with the referral process.

Phase 1 - Inpatient Care

The inpatient exercise and education program will be offered to, but not limited, to the following groups:

1. Post myocardial infarction patients
2. Postoperative cardiovascular patients
3. Peripheral vascular disease patients

Phase II - Outpatient Care

Cardiac rehab is optimally initiated approximately two weeks following discharge from the hospital. It can last up to 12 weeks or 36 sessions, however each patient’s program may vary. It includes an individualized exercise prescription, which gradually increases the participant’s duration and intensity of exercise.

Phase III - Maintenance

Available after completion of Phase II or on a physician referral. Phase III continues as long as the participant chooses to attend.

The participant is not telemetry monitored; however supervision, interaction and counseling are provided.  The participants are encouraged to continue healthy lifestyle choices.

Any individual who has cardiac disease or who recently had a cardiac event or procedure. Cardiac Rehab is an excellent program for individuals who are high risk of heart disease and who may not yet be ready for unsupervised health or fitness programs.