The goals of our program are to:
- Teach you how to reduce your risk factors to prevent the progression of heart disease
- Help you develop strength, flexibility and cardiovascular endurance through an individualized exercise program
- Help you gain the confidence you need to resume the activities of daily living
- Improve your overall quality of life
A Flexible, Individualized Program
A specialized team of physicians, nurses, exercise physiologists, nutritionists and other healthcare professionals will oversee your progress in our cardiac rehabilitation program.
Your individualized program will include:
- Telemetry-monitored exercise sessions
- Nutritional counseling
- Stress-management consultations
- Smoking-awareness classes
- Cardiac education
Benefits of Cardiac Rehabilitation
People who participate in a cardiac rehabilitation program following heart surgery or a diagnosis of heart disease tend to have better outcomes in managing their condition.
Other benefits may include:
- Lower blood pressure
- Less need for medications
- Quicker return to work or normal daily living
- More physical strength and improved condition
- Slowed development or reversal of hardening of the arteries
- Decreased risk of heart attack
- Relief from fear and anxiety
- Weight loss over time
What You Can Expect in Our Program
We will customize an exercise program to match your particular needs and improvement goals, with gradually increasing fitness targets.
Our exercise equipment includes:
- Treadmill
- Recumbent stepper
- Upright static bicycle
- Upper-extremity ergometer
- Free weights
Our staff is on hand at all times to monitor your EKG, blood pressure and heart rate during exercise. We will also teach you relaxation techniques that will help increase your sense of wellbeing.
Cardiac rehabilitation at Memorial Hermann Southeast involves three phases.
Phase I, the inpatient phase, begins as soon as you enter the hospital following a cardiac event or immediately following surgery. In Phase I, you are assisted as you get out of bed and begin to walk around. You and your family will learn about heart disease, how to modify your risk factors and ways to return to an optimal level of functioning after you leave the hospital.
Phase II cardiac rehab is a 12-week, 36-session outpatient program that begins immediately after discharge from the hospital. Telemetry-monitored exercise, nutrition, stress management and smoking awareness classes are all part of Phase II.
The program will help you and your family adjust to life with heart disease. You’ll learn about the modifications you’ll have to make in your lifestyle to improve your health.
We’ll ask you to take treadmill stress tests before beginning the program and upon completion to aid us in developing and evaluating the effectiveness of your comprehensive exercise plan.
Phase III is a maintenance program that will help you continue lifestyle modifications through a monitored exercise program. People who are at high risk of heart disease, but have not had a cardiac event, may also enroll in this part of the program.
Getting Started
You’ll need a referral from your doctor to participate in our cardiac rehabilitation program. If you’re not currently seeing a doctor, please call (713) 222-CARE (2273) and ask to be referred to a cardiologist.
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