What Is Cardiac Rehabilitation?

— -- Question: What is cardiac rehabilitation?

Answer: Cardiac rehabilitation involves really a comprehensive approach to the management of coronary artery disease.

It involves an approach that includes lifestyle modification, for example, dietary changes and exercise. It involves pharmacological therapies.

There are some key medications that are very helpful in terms of combating coronary disease and treating it. Those, in my opinion, include aspirin, beta blockers, statins, and ACE inhibitors.

It involves behavior change, and the ultimate goals are to improve physical fitness -- or aerobic capacity, so to speak -- to reduce symptoms, to reduce morbidity and mortality, and improve the quality of life.

Next: What Do Patients Do At Cardiac Rehabilitation?