Cardiac rehabilitation

Cardiac rehab can help anyone who has had a heart attack or other heart problem. You might consider cardiac rehab if you have had:

• Heart attack
• Coronary heart disease (CHD)
• Heart failure
• Angina (chest pain)
• Heart or heart valve surgery
• Heart transplant
• Procedures such as angioplasty and stenting
• Peripheral arterial disease

In some cases, your health care provider may refer you to rehab if you have had a heart attack or heart surgery. If your provider does not mention rehab, you can ask if it might help you.

Cardiac rehab may help you:

• Improve your quality of life
• Lower your risk of having a heart attack or another heart attack
• Perform your daily tasks more easily
• Increase your activity level and improve your fitness
• Learn how to eat a heart-healthy diet
• Lose weight
• Quit smoking
• Lower blood pressure and cholesterol
• Improve blood sugar control
• Reduce stress
• Lower your risk of dying from a heart condition
• Stay independent

You will work with a rehab team that may include many kinds of medical professionals including:

• Heart doctors or specialized providers
• Nurses
• Dieticians
• Physical therapists
• Exercise specialists
• Occupational therapists
• Mental health specialists

Your rehab team will design a program that is safe for you. Before you start, the team will assess your overall health. A provider will do an exam and may ask you questions about your health and medical history. You may also have some tests to check your heart.

Most rehab programs last from 3 to 6 months. Your program may be longer or shorter depending on your condition.

Most rehab programs cover several different areas:

• Exercise. Regular exercise helps strengthen your heart and improve your overall health. During your sessions, you may start with about a 5-minute warm-up followed by about 20 minutes of aerobics. The goal is to get to about 70% to 80% of your maximum heart rate. You will then cool down for about 5 to 15 minutes. You may also do some light weightlifting or use weight machines as part of your routine. At first, your team will monitor your heart while you are exercising. You will start slowly and increase your physical activity over time. Your rehab team may also suggest you do other activities, such as walking or yard work, on days you are not at the program.
• Healthy eating. Your team will help you learn how to make healthy food choices. They can help you plan a diet to help manage health problems, such as diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol.
• Education. Your rehab team will teach you other ways to stay healthy, such as quitting smoking. If you have a health condition, such as diabetes, CHD, or high blood pressure, your rehab team will teach you how to manage it.
• Support. Your rehab team will help support you in making these lifestyle changes. They can also help you cope with anxiety or depression.

If you are in the hospital, your rehab program may start while you are there. Once you go home, you will likely go to a rehab center in your area. It might be in:

• The hospital
• A skilled nursing faculty
• Another location

Your provider may refer you to a rehab center, or you might need to choose one yourself. When choosing a rehab center, keep a few things in mind:

• Is the center close to your home?
• Is the program at a time that is good for you?
• Can you get to the center easily?
• Does the program have the services you need?
• Is the program covered by your insurance?

If you cannot get to a rehab center, you may have a form of rehab you do in your home.

Cardiac rehab; Heart attack - cardiac rehab; Coronary heart disease - cardiac rehab; Coronary artery disease - cardiac rehab; Angina - cardiac rehab; Heart failure - cardiac rehab

Davis AM. Cardiac rehabilitation. In: Frontera WR, Silver JK, Rizzo TD Jr, eds. Essentials of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. 4th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2019:chap 123.

Thomas RJ, Beatty AL, Beckie TM, et al. Home-based cardiac rehabilitation: a scientific statement from the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation, the American Heart Association, and the American College of Cardiology. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2019;74(1):133-153. PMID: 31097258 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31097258/.

Thomas RJ. Comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation. In: Libby P, Bonow RO, Mann DL, Tomaselli GF, Bhatt DL, Solomon SD, eds. Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. 12th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 33.

Updated by: Thomas S. Metkus, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.