The impact of these debilitating conditions on the patients, their families, and their communities represents both a major challenge and opportunity for providing optimal comprehensive management. These programs are designed to limit the physiologic and psychological effects of cardiac illness, reduce the risk sudden death or reinfarction, control cardiac symptoms, stabilized or reverse the atherosclerotic process, and enhance the psychosocial and vocational status of selected patients. The guideline is available in versions designed for the health care professional and for the consumer, and is intended to optimize the quality, safety, effectiveness, and access to cardiac rehabilitation services. The document has important implications for physicians and allied health professionals involved in secondary prevention. The guideline comments on special populations including the elderly, heart failure patients and cardiac transplantations.
Cardiac rehabilitation is safe for patients who have been appropriately screened and evaluated.
Cardiac rehabilitation is presently underutilized. Cardiac rehabilitation can be delivered in a number of settings. The implementation of cardiac rehabilitation is individualized based on patient needs. The guideline provides broad recommendations based on evaluation of the scientific evidence pertaining to the various components of cardiac rehabilitation. In the complete Clinical Practice Guideline the scientific evidence underlying each of the recommendations is given and the conclusions are discussed.