February 11-17 is National Cardiac Rehab Week: Cardiac Rehabilitation at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon is highly utilized local service

Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) in Waukon began its own Cardiac Rehabilitation unit over three decades ago to help fulfill a need in the community - a need that has been and continues to be well utilized.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Half a million people die each year due to this disease. Many people develop symptoms of heart disease when they are in their 40s or 50s, interrupting a most productive time of life. Cardiac Rehabilitation is an important tool in the fight against heart disease. Rehabilitation involves monitored exercise, nutritional counseling, emotional support and education about lifestyle changes to reduce risks of heart problems.

Cardiac Rehabilitation is designed to help patients improve their health and recover from a heart attack, surgery to treat heart disease or to help manage other forms of heart disease. Patients are referred to Cardiac Rehabilitation by their physician following one of these events. The goal of Cardiac Rehabilitation is to develop an individualized plan for regaining strength, managing heart conditions, reducing risk of future health problems and improving overall health and quality of life.

Cardiac Rehabilitation is designed for outpatients who travel to the hospital three times per week for a one-hour session of supervised, monitored exercise and education sessions. Cardiac Rehabilitation nurses Amy Rolfs, RN and Diann Weymiller, RN oversee individualized cardiac rehabilitation programs for their patients at Veterans Memorial Hospital.

The heart needs to exercise in order to regain strength following a cardiac event, but patients need close supervision due to the heart’s delicate condition. In Cardiac Rehabilitation, the patient’s heart is continually monitored by a telemetry unit that traces the heart’s activity. The nurses supervise each session documenting all activity, checking blood pressures, measuring improvement and patient’s response to activity.

A Cardiac Rehabilitation program is essential for the fullest recovery of a victim of a heart disorder. Again this year, many new patients were referred to the Veterans Memorial Hospital Cardiac Rehabilitation program. VMH averages over 40 new patients each year. These patients come from Allamakee, Clayton, Winneshiek and Fayette Counties, and sometimes even further. Without this local Cardiac Rehabilitation program at Veterans Memorial Hospital, many heart patients would need to travel a great distance, three times per week to attend another program, or go without proper rehabilitation.

Wanda Christianson of Waterville was told she should attend a Cardiac Rehab program following her heart valve replacement surgery in La Crosse, WI. She would have been referred to another hospital for this program if she would not have asked to come to Veterans Memorial Hospital instead.

“I knew there was a cardiac rehab program in Waukon and when I asked to go there instead, they were fine with it. But if I wouldn’t have asked, I would be traveling much further for this service,” explains Wanda. “It is so much closer to home. Everyone is so nice to me and I look forward to meeting with the dietitian here as well.”

Each Cardiac Rehabilitation session lasts approximately one hour and consists of a five-minute warm-up, 30 minutes of aerobic activity, strength training, and a five-minute cool down. Each patient also receives education on stress reduction, nutrition, medications and exercise during each session.

The Cardiac Rehabilitation unit at Veterans Memorial Hospital is fully equipped with a computerized treadmill, weighted pulleys, steps, and a NuStep machine.

For more information on the Veterans Memorial Hospital Cardiac Rehabilitation department, call Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.