Cardiac Rehabilitation
Cardiac rehabilitation is a structured, medically supervised program that helps you recover and rebuild strength after a heart attack, heart surgery or a cardiac procedure. It combines tailored exercise, education, risk-factor management and emotional support to improve fitness and lower the chance of future heart problems.
Medically reviewed by the Florence Healthcare medical team · Last reviewed June 2026
Overview
Cardiac rehabilitation supports recovery after heart problems and helps prevent them returning. It usually moves through phases — early activity in hospital, a supervised outpatient exercise-and-education program, and a long-term maintenance phase you continue yourself. Sessions combine monitored exercise tailored to your heart, with education on medication, healthy eating, managing risk factors and returning to work and activity, plus support for the anxiety or low mood that can follow a heart event. It is recommended after a heart attack, bypass or valve surgery, angioplasty and stenting, and for stable heart failure.
International patients can complete a program with us and receive a clear home plan to continue after returning, with guidance for their local team.
Who is a candidate?
- Recovering after a heart attack
- After coronary bypass or heart valve surgery
- After angioplasty and stenting (PCI)
- Living with stable heart failure
- Stable angina or after a device implant
What happens
- 1
Assessment
Your fitness, symptoms and risk factors are assessed and an individualized exercise and education plan is created.
- 2
Supervised program
Over several weeks you attend monitored exercise sessions alongside education on medication, diet, risk factors and lifestyle, with progress reviewed regularly.
- 3
Maintenance
You move to a home-based plan with ongoing risk-factor control and follow-up to keep the gains long term.
Benefits
- Improves fitness, strength and confidence
- Reduces the risk of future heart events
- Supports medication and lifestyle change
- Helps with mood, anxiety and return to normal life
- Delivered safely under medical supervision
Risks & considerations
- Cardiac rehabilitation is very safe when supervised
- Exertion can occasionally bring on symptoms such as breathlessness, but you are monitored throughout
Conditions this treats
Where it is performed
This procedure is delivered by our Heart Center.
Learn more before you decide
Provider-reviewed guides on the related conditions, symptoms and tests in our Health Library.
Cardiac Rehabilitation — frequently asked questions
It is recommended for most people after a heart attack, heart surgery, angioplasty and stenting, or with stable heart failure — it is an active part of recovery, not an optional extra.
Yes. Exercise is tailored to your heart and supervised by trained staff, with monitoring, so it is done safely and progressed gradually.
A typical supervised program runs 6–12 weeks, followed by a maintenance plan you continue yourself.
Yes — you receive a clear home plan and guidance so your local team can support you afterwards.
Your coordinator provides a transparent, itemized estimate for the program before you start.
Related treatments
Considering cardiac rehabilitation?
Share your reports for a medical second opinion and a transparent, itemized cost estimate — usually within 48 hours.