Graduates of the program may continue to exercise in the maintenance program. Comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation consists of a number of services to help patients achieve and maintain optimal health. These services can be tailored to the needs and preferences of the patient. Exercise training should last for 12 or more weeks. Continued exercise is recommended to maintain the benefits of exercise training.
Cardiac rehabilitation decreases anginal pain and improves heart failure symptoms.
Nutritional education counseling and behavioral interventions improve cholesterol levels. Many patients also need cholesterol-lowering medications. As many as 25 percent of the patients who smoke cigarettes will quit after participating in a smoking cessation program. Comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation has been shown to reduce death rates by 25 percent in patients who have had a heart attack. An estimated 13.5 million Americans have coronary heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States.