Selected Podcast
Getting Your Heart Pumping with Cardiac Rehabilitation
Our heart is at the very center of our being but, like any other muscle in our body, it may at some point need some extra TLC. Jennifer Saarela discusses ways to get your heart pumping with cardiac rehabilitation.
Featuring:
Jennifer Saarela, BSRC, RRT
Jennifer Saarela is the Director of Cardiopulmonary at Pullman Regional Hospital. She oversees the Cardiac & Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program, Sleep Lab, and Respiratory Therapy Services. Transcription:
Announcer: With a relentless focus on excellence in healthcare, Pullman Regional Hospital presents The Health Podcast.
Deborah Howell (Host): Our heart is at the very center of our being, but like any other muscle, it may, at some point, need some rehabilitation. To talk about getting your heart pumping with cardiac rehabilitation, today, we'd like to welcome Jennifer Saarela, Director of Cardiopulmonary at Pullman Regional Hospital. She oversees the cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation program, sleep lab and respiratory therapy services.
Welcome, Jennifer.
Jennifer Saarela, BSRC, RRT (Guest): Thank you. With February being National Heart Health Month, I would like to take a moment to talk about our cardiac rehabilitation program and what we have to offer for patients with heart disease.
Host: Sure. So what is cardiac rehabilitation?
Jennifer: Our cardiac rehab program is a comprehensive outpatient program that's prescribed by a physician for patients with cardiac disease. Patients are monitored in a safe environment and they learn how to exercise for their disease process. The program consists of cardio exercise on various machines and strength training with weights. Patients also receive medication management, risk education and training to self-manage daily living consistent with their cardiac disease process. This leads to an improved quality of life.
Host: Wonderful. And who's a good candidate for cardiac rehabilitation?
Jennifer: Anyone who has had a qualifying event within the last year would qualify for cardiac rehab. Qualifying events could be anything from a heart attack to a stent placement, bypass surgery, heart transplant, and valve replacement.
Host: Sure. Now you surprised me a little bit by saying strength training. I thought most of it was going to be, you know, cardio as they say in the gym. Can you tell us a little bit about the strength training and why it's important?
Jennifer: Yes. With strength training, a lot of the accessory muscles around the abdomen are muscles that help us breathe and core muscles that help with any movement that we do. Core muscles are kind of the core strength of everything. And so when people are rehabilitating through cardiac events, especially where they have had an open bypass and have had their chest muscle cut into, strength training really helps rehabilitate those muscles and makes them stronger. That allows for a healthy breathing and healthy heart.
Host: Wonderful. And what is the goal of cardiac rehabilitation?
Jennifer: Benefits from cardiac rehab include improvement in exercise tolerance, increase in strength, improvement in blood lipid levels, improvement in mental wellbeing and reduced stress, decreased risk of heart attack and improvement in health-related quality of life. Patients that complete and graduate from the program also have a reduction in the number of hospitalizations.
The exercise component of the program consists of individualized exercise regimen, based on your individual needs, medical condition and physical ability. You have supervised exercise sessions with a group of other participants who have had the same or similar conditions. You receive information and training on how to continue to exercise safely at home on your own, after you complete the program.
The education component of the program helps you learn what you can do to live healthier and reduce your risk factors. You also learn to recognize the signs and symptoms that need medical attention. You also receive education on medication management, blood pressure management, weight management. You receive a personalized developed plan specifically for you that promotes independence and healthier living.
Host: Very, very comprehensive. And I understand that this program consists of different exercises and activities performed in a hospital, surrounded by trained medical staff. What level of comfort does this provide patients?
Jennifer: This provides the patients with a great level of comfort because they know that they can exercise safely. They know that there are trained professionals, there's respiratory therapists. There are nurses, there are physicians that are in the building in case that they have any emergency and they know that they are in a safe environment so that they can learn the signs and symptoms of what differentiates between chest pain and chest pressure and what is a side effect of their beta blockers that are working to keep their hearts from pumping too much. And so they learn to recognize those signs and symptoms of what's normal and what is something to be concerned about and when to contact their physician.
Host: Very true. And it's also, I've found when you're doing a program like that, you mark weekly progress and that just feels really good emotionally.
Jennifer: Yes. So, not only do the patients gain confidence because they can see their progression in their strength and they're feeling better. And they're starting to be able to do things that they either weren't able to do before, or were just fearful to do on their own before.
So, they can see their own progression in that aspect. But they also have the companionship of other patients that they have met through the program. And they see things that they're going through before. And so you can celebrate these progressions and these milestones together and there's support everywhere around them.
Host: It's a win-win. Is there a referral needed to participate in the program?
Jennifer: There is. Anyone can have their primary care provider refer to the program. It just takes a written referral for cardiac rehabilitation, a qualifying diagnosis and chart notes that document your event and history. You will receive a phone call from one of our team members to schedule your initial visit.
The intake will consist of a visit with a physician, from our hospitalist service, a monitored treadmill session and a creation of a care plan for your individual needs.
Host: That all sounds absolutely wonderful. Is there anything else you'd like to add to our conversation today?
Jennifer: There is. Any cardiac event, whether major or minor can be a devastating experience. Our kind and compassionate experts can take the worry off of your mind so that you can focus on the important things in life.
Host: Jennifer, we so appreciate your time and everything you do to help our wonderful patients. Thanks so much for being with us today
Jennifer: Thank you.
Host: And you can learn more about this subject, providers and services at Pullman Regional Hospital online at pullmanregional.org and search for cardiopulmonary rehabilitation. This has been The Health Podcast from Pullman Regional. I'm your host, Deborah Howell. Thanks for listening and have yourself a terrific day.
Announcer: With a relentless focus on excellence in healthcare, Pullman Regional Hospital presents The Health Podcast.
Deborah Howell (Host): Our heart is at the very center of our being, but like any other muscle, it may, at some point, need some rehabilitation. To talk about getting your heart pumping with cardiac rehabilitation, today, we'd like to welcome Jennifer Saarela, Director of Cardiopulmonary at Pullman Regional Hospital. She oversees the cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation program, sleep lab and respiratory therapy services.
Welcome, Jennifer.
Jennifer Saarela, BSRC, RRT (Guest): Thank you. With February being National Heart Health Month, I would like to take a moment to talk about our cardiac rehabilitation program and what we have to offer for patients with heart disease.
Host: Sure. So what is cardiac rehabilitation?
Jennifer: Our cardiac rehab program is a comprehensive outpatient program that's prescribed by a physician for patients with cardiac disease. Patients are monitored in a safe environment and they learn how to exercise for their disease process. The program consists of cardio exercise on various machines and strength training with weights. Patients also receive medication management, risk education and training to self-manage daily living consistent with their cardiac disease process. This leads to an improved quality of life.
Host: Wonderful. And who's a good candidate for cardiac rehabilitation?
Jennifer: Anyone who has had a qualifying event within the last year would qualify for cardiac rehab. Qualifying events could be anything from a heart attack to a stent placement, bypass surgery, heart transplant, and valve replacement.
Host: Sure. Now you surprised me a little bit by saying strength training. I thought most of it was going to be, you know, cardio as they say in the gym. Can you tell us a little bit about the strength training and why it's important?
Jennifer: Yes. With strength training, a lot of the accessory muscles around the abdomen are muscles that help us breathe and core muscles that help with any movement that we do. Core muscles are kind of the core strength of everything. And so when people are rehabilitating through cardiac events, especially where they have had an open bypass and have had their chest muscle cut into, strength training really helps rehabilitate those muscles and makes them stronger. That allows for a healthy breathing and healthy heart.
Host: Wonderful. And what is the goal of cardiac rehabilitation?
Jennifer: Benefits from cardiac rehab include improvement in exercise tolerance, increase in strength, improvement in blood lipid levels, improvement in mental wellbeing and reduced stress, decreased risk of heart attack and improvement in health-related quality of life. Patients that complete and graduate from the program also have a reduction in the number of hospitalizations.
The exercise component of the program consists of individualized exercise regimen, based on your individual needs, medical condition and physical ability. You have supervised exercise sessions with a group of other participants who have had the same or similar conditions. You receive information and training on how to continue to exercise safely at home on your own, after you complete the program.
The education component of the program helps you learn what you can do to live healthier and reduce your risk factors. You also learn to recognize the signs and symptoms that need medical attention. You also receive education on medication management, blood pressure management, weight management. You receive a personalized developed plan specifically for you that promotes independence and healthier living.
Host: Very, very comprehensive. And I understand that this program consists of different exercises and activities performed in a hospital, surrounded by trained medical staff. What level of comfort does this provide patients?
Jennifer: This provides the patients with a great level of comfort because they know that they can exercise safely. They know that there are trained professionals, there's respiratory therapists. There are nurses, there are physicians that are in the building in case that they have any emergency and they know that they are in a safe environment so that they can learn the signs and symptoms of what differentiates between chest pain and chest pressure and what is a side effect of their beta blockers that are working to keep their hearts from pumping too much. And so they learn to recognize those signs and symptoms of what's normal and what is something to be concerned about and when to contact their physician.
Host: Very true. And it's also, I've found when you're doing a program like that, you mark weekly progress and that just feels really good emotionally.
Jennifer: Yes. So, not only do the patients gain confidence because they can see their progression in their strength and they're feeling better. And they're starting to be able to do things that they either weren't able to do before, or were just fearful to do on their own before.
So, they can see their own progression in that aspect. But they also have the companionship of other patients that they have met through the program. And they see things that they're going through before. And so you can celebrate these progressions and these milestones together and there's support everywhere around them.
Host: It's a win-win. Is there a referral needed to participate in the program?
Jennifer: There is. Anyone can have their primary care provider refer to the program. It just takes a written referral for cardiac rehabilitation, a qualifying diagnosis and chart notes that document your event and history. You will receive a phone call from one of our team members to schedule your initial visit.
The intake will consist of a visit with a physician, from our hospitalist service, a monitored treadmill session and a creation of a care plan for your individual needs.
Host: That all sounds absolutely wonderful. Is there anything else you'd like to add to our conversation today?
Jennifer: There is. Any cardiac event, whether major or minor can be a devastating experience. Our kind and compassionate experts can take the worry off of your mind so that you can focus on the important things in life.
Host: Jennifer, we so appreciate your time and everything you do to help our wonderful patients. Thanks so much for being with us today
Jennifer: Thank you.
Host: And you can learn more about this subject, providers and services at Pullman Regional Hospital online at pullmanregional.org and search for cardiopulmonary rehabilitation. This has been The Health Podcast from Pullman Regional. I'm your host, Deborah Howell. Thanks for listening and have yourself a terrific day.