What is cardiac rehabilitation?
Cardiac rehabilitation (cardiac rehab) is a medically supervised program of exercise, education, and risk factor management for patients recovering from heart surgery, heart attack, or other cardiac events. It typically consists of 36 sessions over 12 weeks. Cardiac rehab reduces mortality by 20-25%, reduces hospital readmissions by 25%, and significantly improves quality of life. It is a Class I (strongest) recommendation in the ACC/AHA guidelines.
The complete answer.
Cardiac rehab includes three phases: Phase I (inpatient — walking and activity during hospital stay), Phase II (outpatient — supervised exercise 3x/week for 12 weeks with ECG monitoring), and Phase III (maintenance — ongoing independent exercise program). Despite strong evidence, only 20-30% of eligible patients participate in cardiac rehab — one of the most underutilized evidence-based interventions in cardiology. Barriers include lack of referral, transportation, and insurance coverage. WhiteGloveMD includes cardiac rehab guidance and referral resources in every White Glove Insights report.
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