Rehabilitation following myocardial infarction

Abstract

During the past twenty years the approaches toward ambulating and restoring the patient with a healed myocardial infarction to an active way of life have become more positive. Cardiac rehabilitation is now regarded as a long-term process which includes all the requirements of good patient care; careful assessment of each patient's physiologic and emotional limitations and potentials at periodic intervals with objective tests; continuous education of the patient through well supervised programs which include physical activity; and an awareness of how the day to day interactions of the patient with his disease, his physician, his spouse and family and his occupation may influence the success or failure of the rehabilitative effort. A rehabilitation program should include concern for both a patient's physiologic and social psychologic status. Such a program should ideally be led by a physician who would coordinate the efforts of a collaborating team composed of physiologists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, psychologists, sociologists, physical educators and technicians. An outline of such a program is given here (Table I).