Rehabilitive Kardiologie

Thirty chapters written by renowned scholars, researchers and clinicians from the field of cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, offering readers both a broad overview of the field and an in-depth analysis of contemporary issues facing practitioners.

This book fulfills the need for practical guidance among all professionals involved in the management of these patients, from residents and fellows of cardiology and internal medicine, surgical teams, physiotherapy professionals, critical care physicians and family medicine practitioners. The thoroughly updated content takes into account recent developments in cardiac rehabilitation, and incorporates practical advice on how to use guidelines in clinical practice. There will be one new chapter on patients with cardiac resynchronization therapy and all the others will be updated to keep up-to-date with the guidelines and current practice. Cardiac rehabilitation is of key importance to ameliorate long-term morbidity and mortality resulting from cardiac diseases and events. However, much of the current literature is dense, unwelcoming and academic in style and format. For those physicians understanding the scope of cardiac rehabilitation there is a need to distill the guidelines and various management options available to them into a concise practical manual. Up until now, all references have looked at the general options, but there is definite need to investigate the practicalities of individual patient groups.

The increasing frequency of coronary diseases, the still insufficient results of prevention have brought physicians to try to reduce as much as possible the con sequences of ischaemic heart disease. Coronary units and new treatments have some what reduced the dramatic complications of the acute phase; but after the latter, evil effects of the disease remain at the physiological, psychological and social level. It is the aim of rehabi~itation to analyze these problems, to reduce them or to solve them whenever possible. When this conception of "complete coronary care" took the lead, the necon ditioning effects of heart disease and of immobilization on physical conditi ons were emphasized: physical training programmes were prepared and their main lines and physiological effects are now fairly well known. But it was soon obvious that the psychological problems raised by the patient and his environment 'are equally important. Their approach is however much more difficult and their treatment particularly complex. So, the Council on Rehabilitation of the International Society of Cardiology is really grateful to Professor Dr. HALHUBER and Dr. Dr. STOCKSMEIER for giving the opportunity to specialists to discuss together this particular aspect of coronary disease. The discussions have been devoted to the methods of approaching the patient as well as to the therapeutic aspects and the role of psychologists in the rehabilitation programmes: some papers have been devoted also to the possible role of the personality as a risk factor in the development of the disease.

This detailed reference provides practical strategies and a scientific foundation for designing and implementing cardiac rehabilitation services to relieve the symptoms of cardiovascular disease patients through exercise training and risk reduction and secondary prevention, improve quality of life, and decrease mortality. Emphasizes multidisciplinary care that includes exercise training, behavioral interventions, and education and counseling regarding lifestyle changes and other aspects of secondary prevention! Written by world-renowned physicians, nurses, exercise physiologists, psychologists, dietitians, educators, and counselors in the field, Cardiac Rehabilitation presents evidence-based medicine as the cornerstone of clinical cardiology practice discusses interventions that limit the physiological and psychological effects of cardiac illness offers guidelines that enable elderly patients to maintain self-sufficiency and functional independence describes means of social and workplace reintegration evaluates policies for maintaining high-quality care, efficacy, and safety in an atmosphere of diminishing resources explains the role of managed care in moving rehabilitative care into the home, workplace, and other nontraditional sites assesses new interactive technologies that aid in tracking patient data gives pragmatic recommendations for the delivery of cardiac rehabilitative care in the next millenium and more! Advocating integrated, high-quality, consistent cardiac rehabilitation services for the well-being of patients recovering from a variety of cardiovascular problems and procedures, Cardiac Rehabilitation is ideally suited for all medical professionals working in this field.

The aim of this textbook is to give guidance in prevention, lifestyle counselling and rehabilitation for cardiologists, other physicians and many different categories of health professionals in cardiac rehabilitation teams.

This book contains the proceedings of a conference organized by the Klinik Hohenried at the Evangelische Akademie in Tutzing under the patronage of the International Society of Cardiology - Council on Rehabilitation - from Febr. 12-14, 1981. The purpose of the meeting on Current Problems in Cardiac Rehabili tation was to come closer to answering the questions posed in the fol lowing pages, and to make some opinions about cardiac rehabili tation less contoversial. To comment briefly on the interesting question of why opinions in the field of cardiac rehabilitation seem more controversial than in other fields of cardiology, we would like to propose the following explanation: 1. Lack of personal experience and lack of special training in cardiac rehabilitation are a major source of misunderstandings and differ ences of vocabulary between cardiologists engaged in clinical practice and in rehabilitation. 2. Emotional problems in accepting a new kind of partnership between coronary patients and their physicians and a "nihilistic attitude" towards therapy of behaviour play an important role in the scepti cism of cardiologists. 3. Fear of an expensive "overmedication" (I. Illich) is another argu ment concerning rehabilitation.

This guide is directed at the multi-disciplinary team dealing with cardiac rehabilitation. It is a practical handbook for everyday professionals on what they should do following cardiac events and return to work. It is adapted to the needs of cardiac rehabilitation centers. · Key publication from the European Association of Preventive Cardiology (EAPC) · Companion handbook to The ESC Handbook of Preventive Cardiology: Putting Prevention into Practice This handbook is directed at cardiologists in training and practice, specialist (cardiac) nurses, technicians, exercise physiologists and other healthcare professionals involved in the multidisciplinary process of cardiac rehabilitation · Practical user-friendly handbook style presentation · Covers the complete spectrum of rehabilitation care · Key team members address key issues - smoking, diet and physical activity · Focus on high risk patients (family approach)