Functional Capacity in Cardiac Rehabilitation - Term Paper Example

The paper “Functional Capacity in Cardiac Rehabilitation” is a forceful example of a finance & accounting term paper. Patients suffering from heart problems such as Coronary Heart Diseases (CHD) leading to heart attacks, find it necessary to go in for Cardiac Rehabilitation, which is a medically supervised program related to the well-being of people suffering from such diseases (Adams et al. 1999). In America 13 million American adults have been diagnosed with CHD (Albarran et al 2007).

Within the UK, CHD causes around 101,000 deaths a year, and it is the most common cause of premature deaths resulting in over 1.1 million sufferers in the UK (British Heart Foundation 2007).Cardiac rehabilitation programs help patients to enjoy a better standard of living by educating them on how to live a heart-healthy life through counseling (Canoy 2008). These programs also include exercise training and methods to reduce anxiety and stress and live a healthy, active, and peaceful life. The Cardiac Rehabilitation program includes a long-term commitment between the patient and the different care providers (Brodie et al. 2006). Such programs are very important as it helps patients to recover after a heart attack or a heart surgery and prevents further deterioration of the heart and helps them to lead an active and healthy life once again.

Some of the primary risk factors involve high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, tobacco smoking, and lack of physical activity (Chrysohoou et al 2003). The risks also include depression, hypertension, and other anxiety-related problems. Other major causes include a poor diet, a sedentary life, myocardial infarction (MI), valvular heart disease, abnormal cardiac rhythms (Arrhythmias) pericardial disease, congenital defects, and viral infection (Cowie and Kirby 2003).Cardiac rehabilitation programs are an important premise for delivering important and effective preventive care and encouraging patients to lead a healthy standard of life by improving their overall health through proper diet and exercise (Costa et al. 2008). It also teaches them how to manage their stress levels and increase their well-being by adopting a lifestyle that includes a reasonable amount of physical activity.