Helping Hearts

Cardiac Rehabilitation program helps cardiac patients on the road to recovery.

As if having a heart attack or open heart surgery isn’t scary enough, the most difficult times for heart patients often lie in the months that follow their cardiac event. Recovery includes major lifestyle changes, such as diet, exercise and medications which can be intimidating. To help alleviate anxiety, Little Company of Mary offers a comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation program. For more than 30 years, this program has helped heart patients gain an understanding of their disease, as well as the tools they need to lead healthy, productive lives.

 
“Our program is very structured,” Carol Sukimoto, director of cardiac rehabilitation said. “We begin the first phase working with patients in the hospital. We review their history and risk factors, explain prescribed medications and give them instructions for home. We spend a lot of time with them, discussing how to make changes that will keep their hearts healthy.”

In the second phase of the program, patients visit the Cardiac Rehabilitation Center located in Redondo Beach. The initial appointment consists of an assessment that often lasts an hour or more. Patients are also set up with their individual exercise program, which typically consists of a one-hour session, three days a week, for 12 to 18 weeks. Along with exercise, patients participate in classes that address other lifestyle alterations such as nutrition, smoking cessation and medication education.

“The second phase is where we really get people to change,” Sukimoto said. “We make it clear to them that they need to do this. Achieving a better, healthier lifestyle will slow down the heart disease process and that is our goal.”

Over the years, the approach to the treatment of heart disease has changed. Today the effects of certain risk factors and stress are well-documented, as well as the role the psychosocial component plays in recovery. What has not changed, however, is the importance of the comprehensive rehabilitation program.

“We are truly an extension of the physician,” Sukimoto said. “Since we see the patient three times a week, we can often detect problems — such as with heart rhythms or medications — and relay that information to the doctor. The cardiac rehab team takes a very ‘hands-on’ approach with our patients.”

The third phase is a maintenance program in which patients are invited to continue their recovery at the Cardiac Rehabilitation Center. This fee-for-service program allows phase two graduates to use the gym facilities two-tothree times a week. Many patients continue with phase three simply for the peace of mind that comes from being close to highly trained professionals as well as the camaraderie that is often felt among cardiac patients with similar experiences.

In addition, for patients whose diagnoses do not qualify for cardiac rehabilitation insurance benefits — such as those with congestive heart failure — the Cardiac Rehabilitation Center offers a fee-for-service “Fast Track” program that consists of an assessment and six monitored visits. Then, patients are invited to continue with the maintenance program.

“We really are a full-service rehabilitation center,” Sukimoto said. “Our job is to provide comprehensive care for patients with cardiac disease — and we do it every day, with a smile.”