Home is where the heart is!

That’s especially true at Rutland Regional Medical Center, where our specially designed outpatient cardiac rehabilitation program has helped hundreds of community members work toward healthy lifestyles after heart attack or surgery. The Cardiac Rehabilitation center provides personal attention, professionally designed exercise programs and state-of-the-art fitness equipment on an outpatient basis to participants in its program. Adjusting to the significant lifestyle changes made necessary by heart attack or surgery can be difficult. The Center’s unique combination of exercise, education and peer support makes this transition more manageable. Even if you had your treatment elsewhere, the Cardiac Rehabilitation Center can provide the ongoing rehabilitation you need.

Fit your needs to your lifestyle

The Cardiac Rehabilitation Center’s Outpatient Rehabilitation Program picks up where hospital treatment leaves off, building upon the support, exercise and education you began while in the hospital or under a doctor’s care. Made up of monitored exercise sessions, group education classes, stress management instruction and individual counseling when needed, the 6 to 12 week Outpatient Rehabilitation Program emphasizes the information and skills you’ll need to work toward establishing a heart-healthy lifestyle including: • increased knowledge of heart disease • better understanding of your personal risk factors, including how to modify them • improved physical fitness and exercise tolerance. • newfound confidence and abilities that will help you return to employment and independent living When you’ve completed the Outpatient Rehabilitation Program, you’ll be prepared for coping and living with heart disease.

Pre-program Evaluation

After your Primary Care Physician or cardiologist refers you to the Cardiac Rehabilitation Center, and once the results of a pre-admittance stress test are reviewed, our cardiac care team will schedule an individual, pre-program evaluation. If you like, your family may also attend. Together, you and the Center’s cardiac nurse will review your health history and cardiac risk factors to determine your cardiovascular health level, physical fitness and knowledge of heart disease. She will also introduce you to the Center’s staff, show you the exercise gym and establish your desired exercise time.
Our entire care team will participate in designing your personal program. The cardiac nurses will evaluate your risk factor assessment and create an individual exercise and education plan that will meet your needs. If desired, a clinical social worker can help you and your family adjust to life with heart disease, and instruct you in stress management techniques.
Before beginning the exercise component of your program, the cardiac nurses will orient you to the equipment and answer your questions.

Education

If you or your family know the warning signs of heart disease, you can make informed decisions about risk factors, activity modifications and heart-healthy living. Weekly educational classes, conducted in small groups and designed for casual discussion, will equip you with the knowledge and confidence you need to maintain good heart health.
Education topics include a review of risk factors including high blood pressure, cholesterol management, medications, diet and nutrition, stress management techniques, anatomy and function of the heart and of course, the importance of exercise. In addition to aiding your understanding of heart disease and its impacts on your daily life, our weekly educational classes provide an opportunity for you to feel supported by other people who’ve had similar cardiac experiences.

Exercise and Monitoring

ach Monday, Wednesday and Friday, program participants exercise in small groups within Rutland Regional’s Cardiac Rehabilitation Center. Exercise sessions last for 90 minutes and contain seven group members. Cardiac rehabilitation nurses conduct and monitor each session, and instruct participants on how to check pulse rate. Exercise sessions begin with a warm up period followed by aerobic exercise to condition the heart, lungs and muscles.
Your personal needs will determine the equipment and exercises that make up your fitness plan. The Center’s private, well-furnished gym offers a
variety of modern exercise machines you can use to help reach your goals, such as: Treadmills, Rowing machines, bicycles, arm ergometers, stair
stepper and hand weights. Telemetry, a small portable heart monitor you’ll wear while exercising, allows the cardiac rehab nurse to monitor your heart rate and rhythm. The nurses will also check your blood pressure at regular intervals. One-on-one exercise training and monitoring is offered in some special cases. In the event of a cardiac emergency, cardiac nurses and a physician are always at the ready.

After Rehabilitation

During your rehabilitation, your Primary Care Physician and Cardiologist will receive progress reports at 3 to 6 week intervals and a complete discharge summary when you have completed the program. Although your participation in the Outpatient Rehabilitation Program will end, you’ll maintain an important connection to the Cardiac Rehabilitation Center. The care team will continue to be available to answer your questions and offer ideas whenever you call or stop in for a visit.

Is Outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation Right For You?

f you are a person with heart disease who is eager to embark on a healthy lifestyle through moderate cardiovascular exercise, good nutrition and cardiac education, the Cardiac Rehabilitation Center’s Outpatient Rehabilitation Program can help.
In order to be admitted to the program, you must have a referral from your physician and be willing to participate in a pre-entry stress test. You must also have one or more of the following cardiac conditions or events in your health history:
• Heart Attack
• Coronary Bypass Surgery
• Valvular Surgery
• Angioplasty/Stent Insertion
• Stable Angina Pectoris
• Heart  Transplant