Less than a third of survivors of a serious heart event receive lifesaving cardiac rehab

The Irish Heart Foundation in partnership with the Irish Association for Cardiac Rehabilitation (IACR) has developed a new podcast on cardiac rehabilitation.

The podcast called ‘It’s Cardiac Rehab!’ was developed with support from Servier Laboratories (Ireland) aims to save lives by encouraging patients who have suffered heart attacks, angioplasty or heart surgery to sign up for this life-saving programme.

Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death in Ireland and 4,121 lives were lost to coronary heart disease in 2021, However, just less than a third of survivors of serious heart events receive lifesaving cardiac rehabilitation.

“As well as improving quality of life and exercise capacity, completing a cardiac rehabilitation programme has been proven to reduce cardiac mortality by 26 per cent (and up to 40 per cent after coronary artery bypass), and reduces hospital readmissions by 18 per cent,” said Deirdre O’Reilly, Cardiac Rehabilitation Coordinator, and IACR President.

“However, despite its proven effectiveness for improving physical and psychological wellbeing and the prevention of repeat events, only 30 per cent of eligible patients receive this lifesaving intervention.

“Cardiac rehabilitation must not be considered an optional extra. Enrolling and participating in a comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation programme will ultimately help more cardiac patients live longer and healthier lives,” she added.

The six episode podcast brings together cardiac rehabilitation professionals, expert clinicians, and people who have participated in cardiac rehabilitation.

It also includes author Michael Harding who shares his experience of suffering an acute heart attack and its aftermath.

The podcast will feature a variety of topics including exercise, medication, healthy eating, and the psychological impact of living with heart disease.

The series is aimed at anyone who has had a cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack, coronary artery stenting, or coronary artery bypass surgery, to help increase understanding of cardiac rehabilitation.

High-quality cardiac rehabilitation provides a multidisciplinary team, including a cardiac rehabilitation coordinator, clinical nurse specialists, exercise specialists or physiotherapists, dietitians, psychologists, and pharmacists.

Dr Angie Brown, Medical Director with the Irish Heart Foundation said cardiac rehabilitation was “a vital lifeline for people dealing with the physical and psychological effects of heart attacks, which can be both significant and detrimental to their long-term recovery”.

“But perhaps cardiac rehabilitation is best described by those who have attended it and call it a life-changing and life-saving decision.”

You can listen to the “It’s Cardiac Rehab!” podcast here.