Cardiac rehabilitation has made great strides. Until 50 years ago, people with cardiovascular diseases were restrained or advised to limit their physical activity. Today it is known that rehabilitation (including its indispensable element - physical exercises) should be implemented as soon as possible after the occurrence of a cardiovascular incident, immediately after the patient's condition has stabilized.

Cardiac rehabilitationbegins in the intensive supervision room and then continues in cardiac rehabilitation departments or sanatoriums. As it results from the Regulation of the Minister of He alth on guaranteed benefits in the field of therapeutic rehabilitation of 2013, such improvement under the National He alth Fund - depending on the category - may start no later than 28, 42 or 56 days from the discharge from the center where the acute phase of the disease and last from 2 to 5 weeks.

Specialists emphasize that effective treatment of cardiovascular diseases should be comprehensive, multi-stage, continuous and individualized. - Improving the efficiency of the cardiovascular system and the musculoskeletal system is only part of the success. That is why we teach patients to eliminate or reduce negative emotions such as stress or anxiety, smoking addiction, overweight and obesity, which pose a risk of recurrence of the disease, and we also indicate the directions of lifestyle and diet modification - says Małgorzata Piotrowska, director of the MEDI-system MARIANNA center.

Who is cardiac rehabilitation for?

Cardiac rehabilitation is for people who are:

  • after acute coronary syndromes, commonly known as heart attacks
  • after invasive treatment of coronary artery disease
  • after coronary bypass surgery (CABG)
  • after heart valve repair
  • after implantation of a pacemaker or cardioverter-defibrillator
  • Cardiac rehabilitation also serves patients experiencing worsening symptoms of chronic heart failure

What is the purpose of cardiac rehabilitation?

The main goal of cardiac rehabilitation is to improve the quality of life, limit disease progression, and reduce the risk of cardiovascular eventsvascular disease, as well as reducing the degree of disability in various aspects of daily functioning. According to the World He alth Organization, it is cardiac rehabilitation that should ensure "the best physical, mental and social conditions" so that such a return - with the patient's own participation - would be possible.

What does cardiac rehabilitation involve?

Cardiac rehabilitation includes :

  • clinical he alth evaluation
  • properly selected drug therapy
  • physical training and evaluation
  • treatment of risk factors for cardiovascular diseases

The patient must be taken care of by an interdisciplinary team of specialists who will jointly prepare an individual therapy plan.

The cardiologist is responsible for the assessment of the patient's condition, pharmacotherapy and diagnostic tests, on the basis of which the rehabilitation model is selected.

The physiotherapist cares for the appropriate duration and regularity of the controlled physical effort.

A dietitian introduces he althy eating habits and - if necessary - a diet that promotes weight reduction. An equally important role is played by a psychologist, especially in the case of young people, for whom a heart attack is often perceived as a loss of professional career or a disturbance to the current family life . Fear of losing a job, and thus the source of income, and a sense of constant threat to life, often lead to lower self-esteem, and even depression.

Important

According to the 2015 he alth need maps, only 121 cardiac rehabilitation beds were available in the Mazowieckie voivodship - slightly more than 2 beds per 100,000. inhabitants with a slightly higher national average - less than 7 beds per 100 thousand. residents. Specialists are alarming that in just four years the number of deaths from cardiovascular diseases in Poland will exceed 200,000. This dangerous trend could be stopped by widely available and comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation.

MEDI-system

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