Cardiac Rehabilitation, as defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 1964, is "the sum of activities required to ensure that cardiac patients have the best possible physical, mental and social conditions so that they may, by their own efforts, resume and maintain as normal a place as possible in the community."
Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation has been shown to reduce the risk of death and re-hospitalisation for patients with coronary artery disease, including those with heart attacks.
Our NUHCS Cardiac Rehabilitation team is a multidisciplinary service that provides comprehensive exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation and aims to ensure patient safety and improve confidence for those living with heart disease.
Almost any heart condition can benefit from participation in a cardiac rehabilitation programme.
These include:
- Heart attack (acute myocardial infarction)
- Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) - Ballooning / Stenting
- Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery
- Valve surgery (including Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement/Intervention [TAVR/TAVI] and Mitra-Clip)
- Peripheral vascular disease (PVD)
- Treatment for other heart conditions:
- Pulmonary hypertension
- After open heart surgery / congenital heart surgery
As risk factor and lifestyle modifications are important to successful cardiac rehabilitation, our programme offers medically supervised individualized exercise programmes, education and lifestyle modification aimed at providing patients with the information, motivation and support they need to adopt and maintain heart-healthy habits.
The goals of the programme are to limit the physiological effects of cardiac illness and to improve overall cardiovascular fitness and health.
The 3 components of Cardiac Rehabilitation Programme
Education
We provide information on the disease condition, treatment modalities, importance of risk factor modification and home advice. We conduct individual teaching as well as group teaching.
Counselling
We provide constant support and advice to patients and their spouses or family members. Most patients and their families are struck with many uncertainties (e.g. fear of having another heart event, coping with lifestyles changes, worrying about hospital expenses or future follow-up cost). In the programme, there will be a team that will be present to guide patients through their road to recovery.
Prescribed exercise training
Each patient will exercise based on his or her individualised calculated target heart rate in a progressive manner. Patients are also taught how to exercise safely. Maintaining a lifelong exercise routine is reinforced.
Heart Rehab gym at the NUHCS
The Phases of Cardiac Rehabilitation Programme
| Phases | Duration | Component(s) |
| Inpatient | During hospital stay | - Lifestyle Modification Education
|
| Outpatient | Between 8 to 12 sessions over 1-2 months (subject to medical team assessment)
| - Safe and individualized exercise
- Education Counselling
|
| Community-Based | Lifelong | - Healthy Lifestyle Maintenance
|
Click
here for Healthy Heart Resources.
Click
here to learn more about the Caring Hearts Support Group (CHSG).
How do I join this programme?
A referral from your physician is required to participate in the programme. You will need to consult your cardiologist before starting this programme. For more enquires, please email [email protected]
