Cardiac Rehabilitation: Indications, Benefits, and New Approaches.

Cardiac rehabilitation consists of comprehensive risk factor reduction with demonstrated effectiveness in combating cardiovascular disease. The American Heart Association defines cardiac rehabilitation as a supervised program to improve cardiovascular health through a combination of exercise, education, and emotional counseling for those who have had a myocardial infarction, heart failure, angioplasty, or heart surgery. Cardiac rehabilitation programs involve evaluations by a team of specialists, structured exercise, and lifestyle risk factor modification, and a focus on long-term goals to improve overall health and reduce coronary heart disease morbidity and mortality. Family physicians play a vital role in ensuring that patients are connected to and complete cardiac rehabilitation training because the program remains underused nationwide. After a coronary heart disease event and cardiac rehabilitation, these programs continue to support patients by helping them adhere to lifestyle modifications.