Cardiac Rehabilitation Program

Customized Cardiac Rehabilitation Three-Phase Program

If you’ve had heart surgery or a cardiac event, a custom designed cardiac rehabilitation plan can help you recover safely. Cardiac rehabilitation programs are specifically created to help you safely resume your normal activities and reduce your risk for more heart issues.

Combining exercise and education, West Suburban Medical Center offers cardiac rehabilitation in three phases.

Phase I: Post Surgery

After a cardiac event or surgery, Phase I begins while you are still in the hospital. Your rehabilitation team will create a recovery program just for you. The plan will include both activities and education. You’ll learn about heart disease, medical procedures, risk factor modification, and at-home care.

Phase II: Outpatient

Phase II takes place at the West Suburban Cardiac Rehabilitation Center located on the 3rd floor of the hospital. You’ll work out with others as many as three times a week for two to three months. To ensure your comfort and safety, your blood pressure and heart will be monitored before, during, and after each work out. A cardiologist will prescribe the exercise and a cardiac nurse and exercise physiologist will supervise each rehabilitation session.

Goals of Phase II rehabilitation include increasing your endurance and strength to increase your capacity to work. Participation in cardiac rehabilitation will reduce your risk of having future heart problems and will also lessen the chance that you will return to the hospital or emergency room for heart related reasons. You’ll learn safer ways to perform daily activity and how to develop exercise habits. Cardiac prevention education covers the health factors you can help control, such as blood pressure, high cholesterol, sedentary life style, obesity, smoking, diabetes, and stress.

Phase III: Post Graduate

Phase III cardiac rehabilitation programs are designed to help you maintain heart health and fitness you’ve learned about in the Phase II plan. We offer medically supervised cardiac workout programs supervised by a cardiac nurse or exercise physiologist. You’ll participate in aerobic, strength training and balance exercises. As before, we’ll check your blood pressure and heart rate before, during, and after each program. We want to ensure that your activity level is safe.