In the past, patients who had an infarction or bypass were placed on bed rest for up to several months. These patients preferred a passive and sedentary life because they were afraid of the recurrence of their heart disease. This inactivity brought about consequences such as depression, introversion, and social isolation, which negatively affected the person's quality of life. But later it was observed that a sedentary life does not protect against secondary heart events and that patients who move early adapt to their daily lives more easily and are less exposed to complications. Scientific studies conducted in this direction have shown that the real danger in these patients is not movement but inactivity, and that exercises performed in a controlled manner have very positive effects on heart health. In parallel with these developments, the concept of exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation was born after heart patients.
What is Cardiac Rehabilitation?
By definition, cardiac rehabilitation is the maximum physical training of people with cardiovascular disease. It is the whole of the procedures applied for the purpose of reaching psychological and functional capacity. Today, the importance of cardiac rehabilitation is understood and widely applied in developed western countries. In fact, in some countries, cardiac rehabilitation has become mandatory after bypass surgery. In our country, with the encouragement of the Ministry of Health, the importance of this issue is increasingly understood.
Which Patients Is It Applied To?
Cardiac rehabilitation is used in people with coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, It is applied in many cardiac conditions and diseases such as after coronary artery bypass surgery, in the presence of heart failure and hypertension, after a pacemaker, in heart valve diseases, and after heart transplantation.
What is the purpose of cardiac rehabilitation?
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Cardiac rehabilitation enables the patient who is physically, spiritually and socially restricted due to heart disease or surgery to return to work and social life, improve the functional level, ensure symptomatic recovery, eliminate the patient's anxiety and depression, return to social life. It is aimed to ensure the return of the patient and to extend the life of the patient.
Cardiac rehabilitas Scientific research has shown that there is a reduction of up to 30% in death rates due to heart diseases and the risk of second infarction with exercise programs.
How is exercise applied to heart patients?
The patient who will be included in the cardiac rehabilitation program is carefully evaluated by the cardiologist. In these patients, their cardiac status is determined by performing a low-level effort ECG. Depending on the risk situation, a personalized exercise program is determined by the physical therapist for that person. In addition to aerobic exercises performed at a personally determined heart rate, patients are included in a program of exercises that increase breathing, posture, relaxation and mild muscle strength. Patients generally continue this program every other day for about a month or two. Aerobic exercises are performed with highly advanced computer-controlled exercise devices that have been developed for this purpose and monitor the patient's ECG, heart rhythm, blood oxygen level and blood pressure. With these devices, the development of the person between before and after treatment can be shown in great detail.
What are the gains with cardiac rehabilitation
Increase in general condition, decrease in heart rate at the same workload, decrease in blood pressure, heart rate It provides an increase in muscle contraction strength, an increase in oxygen consumption and exercise capacity, an increase in heart muscle circulation, a decrease in body fat, a decrease in blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels, a decrease in atherosclerosis, and an improvement in psychological state.
All studies show that exercise helps. It actually supports that it is the best and most natural medicine for the heart. A controlled exercise program produces significant improvements in almost all parameters related to heart disease. And most importantly, it significantly reduces the risk of disability and death. With a cardiac rehabilitation program, people with heart disease can be saved from isolation, withdrawal from social life and activity restriction. In this way, it is possible to enable heart patients to rejoin life and extend their lifespan with a better quality. For this reason, we recommend that heart patients should not be afraid of exercise and should definitely participate in this type of program.
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