Cardiac rehabilitation at The Medical Center of Aurora

Cardiac rehabilitation in Aurora, Colorado

At The Medical Center of Aurora in East Denver, cardiac rehab allows heart patients to increase their strength and stamina following heart surgery. It can also help patients maintain their heart health long-term. Our cardiac rehab program significantly helps patients who have been treated for:

• Angina (chest pain)
• Balloon angioplasty or coronary stenting
• Coronary artery bypass surgery
• Heart attack
• Heart valve surgery

For more information about The Medical Center of Aurora's cardiac rehab program, call our outpatient cardiopulmonary rehab department at (303) 338-7446.

Benefits of cardiac rehab

Cardiac rehab offers patients many benefits to heart surgery patients and those who have had other heart problems. For example, cardiac rehab helps you:

• Control stress
• Exercise in a safe, medically supervised gym
• Gain strength and stamina
• Improve self-confidence and emotional health
• Lower blood pressure
• Manage your heart health
• Perform daily activities with less effort
• Return to work faster

Cardiac rehab phases

Inpatient cardiac rehab program (phase I)

Phase I cardiac rehab occurs while the patient is still in the hospital recovering from heart surgery. This phase focuses on educating patients about their heart medications and helping patients begin an exercise program.

Outpatient cardiac rehab (phase II)

Phase II occurs after the patient has been discharged from the hospital. It builds on the important educational and physical elements that began in phase I.

In phase II, a cardiac rehab nurse evaluates the patient, creating an assessment that is used to develop an exercise plan. The patient’s vital signs are monitored and an electrocardiogram (EKG) is performed.