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Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation

A middle age man smiling at his elder patient for her cardiac rehab.
physical therapist working with elderly man on treadmill

What is Cardiac Rehabilitation?

Cardiac rehabilitation is a physician-supervised program at Parkwest Medical Center that may benefit you if you have either congenital or acquired heart disease.

Cardiac rehabilitation can often:

  • Improve functional capacity
  • Reduce symptoms
  • Create a sense of well-being for patients

Who May Benefit from Cardiac Rehabilitation?

If you have any of the following conditions or have undergone the following procedures, cardiac rehabilitation may be a fit for you.

  • Angina pectoris
  • Myocardial infarction (heart attack)
  • Post-open heart surgery
  • Post-heart transplantation
  • Balloon angioplasty
  • Stent placement
  • Pacemaker
  • Congenital heart disease
  • Rheumatic heart disease
  • Heart failure

Cardiac rehabilitation programs can be conducted while you are a hospital inpatient or on an outpatient basis.

How Does Cardiac Rehab Work?

The program’s length may range from six weeks to a year or longer and will depend on your specific needs. The goal of cardiac rehabilitation is to help you reverse your symptoms and maximize cardiac function.

Cardiac rehabilitation includes, but is not limited to, the following activities:

  • Establishing a progressive exercise program to build your fitness and functional capacity
  • Providing educational classes to help you change lifestyle habits as needed, such as smoking cessation or nutrition classes
  • Offering stress management techniques and anxiety reduction techniques
  • Counseling and educating you about your specific heart condition or disease and the best management approach
  • Preparing you to return to work — equipping you to meet the physical and psychological demands of the job

What is Pulmonary Rehabilitation?

Pulmonary rehabilitation helps individuals with chronic lung disease to live well and manage symptoms.

Parkwest Pulmonary Rehabilitation was one of the first programs to receive national certification from the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation for consistent clinical outcomes with lung patients.

Doctor showing patient x-ray of lungs on a tablet

How Does Pulmonary Rehab Work?

Individuals who have lung disease and are referred by their attending physician are eligible for the Phase II program.

Here’s what you need to know:

Phase II includes two sessions each week for 12-18 weeks.

Each session lasts two hours, with one hour for medically supervised and monitored exercise and one for group education.

The program may also include:

  • Individual counseling
  • Home oxygen use
  • Breathing retraining
  • Stress management
  • Home exercise
  • Diet
  • Medications

The Cardiopulmonary Rehab Team at Parkwest Medical Center

Many skilled professionals are part of the rehabilitation team, including the following:

  • Cardiologist / cardiovascular surgeon
  • Physicians
  • Counselors
  • Pharmacists
  • Internist
  • Rehabilitation nurse
  • Exercise Physiologist
  • Respiratory Therapist
  • Dietitian and Nutritionist

Our cardiac rehabilitation program is designed to meet your individual needs, depending upon the specific heart problem or disease, and is supervised by a cardiac physician and a team of cardiac professionals.

The Parkwest pulmonary rehabilitation program also works with physicians to provide an intensive lifestyle modification approach for lung disease symptom management.

Referral Information

You or your doctor can contact us at 865-531-5560 to schedule an intake appointment.

A nurse case manager from the Parkwest cardiopulmonary rehabilitation team will:

  • Talk with you about your individual health goals when you enroll in the program
  • Help with insurance approval and billing concerns (most insurance companies cover cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation services)
  • Send reports to your referring doctor and your family doctor at the end of the program.

Eligibility

Individuals are eligible for the Parkwest cardiopulmonary rehabilitation program if they have heart or lung disease and are referred by their attending physician.

Building directory sign outside Fort Sanders West

Location

Parkwest Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation is located in Suite 205 of Medical Office Building 2, at the Fort Sanders West campus on Kingston Pike, just west of Pellissippi Parkway.

If you live outside Knox County and need information about cardiopulmonary rehabilitation programs in your community, call 1-800-556-3404.

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