Cardiac rehabilitation

Cardiac rehab center in Idaho Falls

The cardiac rehabilitation program at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center (EIRMC) is an exercise and educational program for patients recovering from heart surgery or a cardiovascular condition. We aim to assess your fitness capabilities and limitations, provide education, support and a carefully structured plan designed to help you effectively transition back to a healthier, more productive lifestyle following your cardiovascular event.

For more information about our cardiac rehabilitation services, please call (208) 529-6193.

Certified cardiac rehabilitation specialists

EIRMC has received the cardiac rehab certification from the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation. This certification demonstrates our excellence in several facts of proper cardiac rehab care, such as program safety, medical oversight, personalized exercise prescription, policies and procedures. Our continued dedication to these practices has made us one of the premier cardiac rehabilitation programs across southeast Idaho, western Wyoming and southern Montana.

Three-phase rehab program

When you have experienced a cardiac-related condition, helping you resume normal activities is our primary objective. Rehab is essential to proper cardiac care. It lowers the risk of complications or death for patients who have experienced these conditions. It can also reduce the risk of having to undergo additional heart surgery in the future.

Our first-class team of registered nurses, exercise physiologists, dieticians, pharmacists and, when needed, diabetes educators and professionals specializing in respiratory therapy work together to streamline your recovery. Working with you and your healthcare provider, we customize a comprehensive program to meet your health and wellness goals.

Our cardiac rehabilitation program is broken into three phases and typically consists of:

• Assistance with home exercise
• Education
• Lifestyle modification
• Nutritional counseling
• Psychological counseling
• Relaxation training
• Stress management
• Supervised exercise training

Phase one: Inpatient cardiac rehab

The first phase of cardiac therapy begins during your hospitalization. During this time, an EIRMC team member will introduce you to a program of progressive exercises to help you regain your strength.

Additionally, our team educates you and your family on your procedure, how to reduce the risk of coronary artery disease and how to transition your recovery from the hospital to your home.

Phase two: Outpatient cardiac rehab

Once out of the hospital, you will continue to work on getting stronger. The second phase of therapy involves attending an outpatient exercise program supervised by your doctor and our cardiac rehabilitation specialists. This phase usually involves 36 sessions over the course of 12 weeks.

An individualized exercise regimen is written for you, and each session includes an educational component. During these sessions, you will wear a heart monitor to monitor your blood pressure and oxygen saturation levels.

As you progress, we gradually increase the intensity and duration of your exercise. The cardiac rehab staff also instructs you in incision care. It helps you to identify any complications that might arise quickly. We also send regular written updates and make phone calls, as needed, to your primary care physician.

Phase three: Outpatient cardiac rehab and fitness

By reaching phase three of your customized rehab program, your doctor and the staff have determined that you can not only safely perform exercises but also that you understand risk factor modification techniques. You can exercise in the lab, but you are allowed more control over the types of exercises you would like to do.

At this stage, the cardiac rehab staff assists you with your exercises but only requires you to wear a heart monitor once a month. Once you have gotten comfortable with your cardiac rehab progress, it is vital that you commit to a lifelong exercise and heart-healthy diet plan for your physical well-being.