Your doctor may recommend cardiac rehabilitation (cardiac rehab) to help you recover from a heart attack and to help prevent another heart attack. Nearly everyone who has had a heart attack can benefit from rehab. Cardiac rehab is a medically supervised program that may help improve the health and well-being of people who have heart problems.

The cardiac rehab team may include doctors, nurses, exercise specialists, physical and occupational therapists, dietitians or nutritionists, and psychologists or other mental health specialists.

Rehab has two parts:

•         Education, counseling, and training. This part of rehab helps you understand your heart condition and find ways to reduce your risk for future heart problems. The rehab team will help you learn how to cope with the stress of adjusting to a new lifestyle and how to deal with your fears about the future.

•         Exercise training. This part helps you learn how to exercise safely, strengthen your muscles, and improve your stamina. Your exercise plan will be based on your personal abilities, needs, and interests.

Cardiac rehabilitation helps you get back to as full a life as possible after a cardiac event such as a heart attack, heart surgery or stent procedure.

You may also be able to attend a cardiac rehab program if you have been diagnosed with heart failure or if you have a device such as an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD).

A member of the cardiac rehabilitation team will visit you in hospital and provide detailed information about:

•         your state of health and how the heart attack may have affected it;

•         the type of treatment you received;

•         what medicines you'll need when you leave hospital;

•         what specific risk factors are thought to have contributed to your heart attack;

•         what lifestyle changes you can make to address those risk factors.

They can also answer any questions you have about financial support, welfare rights, housing, and social care. Cardiac rehab gives you and your family the information, support, and advice you need to return to everyday life. Cardiac rehab is a vital part of your long-term recovery, so consider it as important as taking your medication. Research has shown that cardiac rehab can reduce your risk of having another heart event, being readmitted to the hospital, and has a positive impact on your wellbeing and quality of life.

Many people survive heart attacks and live active lives. If you get help quickly, treatment can limit damage to your heart muscle. Less heart damage improves your chances for a better quality of life after a heart attack.