The Preventive Cardiology and Rehabilitation Program is a multidisciplinary
approach to preventing the occurrence or progression of cardiovascular
disease.
What types of patients are seen in the Preventive Cardiology
and Rehabilitation Program?
The Program staff treats patients for both primary and secondary
prevention:
- Primary
prevention is aimed at the prevention of heart and blood vessel
disease before an event such as heart attack, stroke or need
for cardiovascular surgery occurs.
- Secondary
prevention works with an individual after they have experienced
an event such as heart or vascular surgery, angioplasty or heart
attack, to prevent further progression of cardiovascular disease.
Who
are the members of the multidisciplinary team?
The program brings together the skills and talents of physicians,
nurses and other health professionals from a cross section of
departments including:
- Cardiology
- Endocrinology
- Hypertension
- Internal
Medicine
- Exercise
Physiology
- Psychology
- Nutrition
therapy
In bringing these diverse areas together under one program,
patients benefit from this comprehensive, multi-specialty expertise
and application of the most current, research-based preventive
therapies.
The team works with each patient to reduce risk factors using
a thorough assessment (which consists of a physical exam, complete
medical and family history and blood work including biochemical
and genetic markers) and ongoing follow-up. Risk factors for
cardiovascular disease include:
- Elevated
cholesterol
- Diabetes
mellitus
- High
blood pressure
- Genetic
factors
- Smoking
- Obesity
- Sedentary
lifestyle
- Uncontrolled
stress or anger
What
is unique about the Preventive Cardiology and Rehabilitation Program?
The Program specialists work with each patient to design an individualized
program specific to their needs and medical condition. The program
includes:
- Cutting
edge risk evaluation, including genetic and biochemical diagnostics
- Individualized
exercise prescription, along with a medically-supervised exercise
program
- Computerized
data collection and outcomes analyses
-
Multidisciplinary treatment strategies
-
Nutritional counseling based on electronic evaluation of daily
food intake
- Behavioral
analysis
- A
variety of group and individual educational opportunities
Throughout the program, ongoing, regular follow-up appointments
are scheduled to ensure progress toward goal achievement. Access
to healthcare professionals in-between visits is available if
questions arise.
How does the program work with your doctor?
The Preventive Cardiology specialists will complete a comprehensive
evaluation and create an individualized treatment plan. They work
closely with each patient and their family physician or cardiologist
to design a program that fits with their overall health profile.
Progress is tracked and this information is reported to the patient
and their doctor with each visit.
