What are the risks?
Cardiac rehab is designed to be safe. Complications are rare. However, cardiac rehab can affect your child’s heart in unexpected ways. Some examples are:
- Abnormal heartbeat or blood pressure
- Limited heart function
- Chest pain
- Heart attack or cardiac arrest
If your child has a health emergency during a cardiac rehab session, the cardiac rehab staff will be there to help.
What are the benefits?
Cardiac rehab can help you and your child:
- Lower emotional stress
- Build a support system
- Strengthen the heart
- Be more active
- Learn about their health condition
What is Cardiac Rehabilitation?
Cardiac rehabilitation [ree-huh-bil-eh-TAY-shuhn] (rehab) is a program that can help children who have a congenital heart defect or other heart problems. Young patients and their families will work with a team of healthcare professionals to create a custom program to help improve a child’s overall quality of life.
The team of healthcare professionals consists of experienced critical care nurses, exercise physiologists, dietitians, physical and occupational therapists, and socials workers. Cardiac rehab is available in both an inpatient and outpatient setting. Where your child has rehab will depend on your child’s overall health.
The goal of cardiac rehab is to help ease your child’s symptoms and make their heart as strong and healthy as possible. A program may include some or all of the following:
- Supervised exercise program
- Nutritional counseling
- Occupational therapy
- Physical therapy
- Counseling
Depending on your child’s needs, the cardiac rehab program may last for a few weeks to more than a year. During cardiac rehab, your child’s blood pressure and heart rate will be closely monitored.