Heart ailment doesn’t mean end to physical activity

ESIC Hospital’s cardiac rehab programme improves fitness levels, changes lives

August 11, 2022 01:02 am | Updated 09:01 am IST - HYDERABAD

ESIC Hospital’s Cardiac Rehab Programme, a first of its kind, is a ray of hope for many. (Representational photo)

ESIC Hospital’s Cardiac Rehab Programme, a first of its kind, is a ray of hope for many. (Representational photo)

For those who fear having to live with limited mobility and less physical activity after suffering a heart attack or heart failure, ESIC Medical College and Hospital’s Cardiac Rehab Programme (CRP), a first of its kind, comes as a ray of hope.

According to doctors, patients such as 19-year-old Lokith, who was diagnosed with pulmonary arterial hypertension, and had an exercise capacity of only 33 seconds, and 47-year-old Lingam, a welder who suffered a heart failure earlier this year, after taking the CRP, have shown a dramatic change, and are now running up to 21 km.

The programme is physician-supervised and aimed at improving heart pumping capacity and physical fitness.

Ignored aspect

Describing CRP as the first such initiative, ESIC Hospital doctors opined that the rehabilitation process after suffering a heart attack is largely ignored. “After three or four months of the structured rehabilitation process, the heart starts to adapt to the programme, the pumping capacity improves, and the patient becomes fitter and stronger,” said Dr Muralidhar Babi, Assistant Professor, ESIC Medial College Hospital.

Doctors shared the progress of a 34-year-old plumber who suffered a heart attack in 2018 and had a stent placed. But, on account of heart damage, the pumping capacity had dropped to 30%. This affected his professional efficiency. Things began looking up after he enrolled in the programme. He now runs 5 km with ease.

Dr kalyan Pal, Medical Superintendent, Dr Shailaja, Deputy Medical Superintendent, Dr Sadanand Reddy, Head of the Cardiology Department, and Dr Sushma, HOD, PMR also spoke.

Top News Today

Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.