Cardiac Rehabilitation

What is cardiac rehabilitation?
Cardiac rehabilitation is the process of helping people with a heart condition make any necessary changes to their lifestyle and get back on their feet again, physically, psychologically, socially and vocationally following a cardiac event.
The main aim of cardiac rehabilitation is to help people regain their confidence and return to as normal a life as possible following a cardiac event. Patients and their families often fear another heart attack, for example and this can lead to patients unnecessarily restricting their social and vocational activities. The myths and fears that lead to this behaviour are dealt with during cardiac rehabilitation.

What does cardiac rehabilitation achieve?
Cardiac Rehabilitation helps patients to change poor health habits such as smoking, inactivity and dietary habits.
Cardiac Rehabilitation helps people recover psychologically. Research evidence suggests that in the months after a heart attack as many as 30 per cent of patients may have clinically significant levels of anxiety and 15 to 20 per cent will suffer from a significant degree of depression.
Cardiac Rehabilitation helps people to deal with social issues; for example it helps them understand problems relating to health and travel insurance, how to obtain benefits and when to return to work.
As anyone who has experienced good quality cardiac rehabilitation will tell you, rehabilitation provides much more than extra years. It supports and encourages change and helps people set and work towards realistic and achievable personal goals to restore their health and return to normal life.

What patients are seen at the Brighton and Sussex University Trust hospitals?
The cardiac rehabilitation team sees patients with the following diagnoses:
Myocardial infarction (heart attack), Cardiac Surgery, including by-pass and valve surgery, Angioplasty and Stent insertion and internal cardioverter defibrillation insertion.

How the service is delivered at the Royal Sussex County Hospital
The process runs from admission to discharge, including the referral process: There are four phases of Cardiac Rehabilitation:

• Phase 1: In-Patient phase
• Phase 2: Immediate post discharge rehabilitation
• Phase 3: Outpatient rehabilitation
• Phase 4: Long term maintenance of changed behaviour

Please click HERE for information on the four phases

		Kay Hyde Lead Nurse/Clinical Nurse Specialist Cardiac rehabilitation co-ordinator The Royal Sussex County hospital Eastern Road Brighton BN2 5BE E-mail: kay.hyde@bsuh.nhs.uk Phone: 01273 696955 Ext. 4009