If you live with or are recovering from heart disease or another heart
condition, the Cardiac Rehabilitation Program at Lower Bucks Hospital offers
a combination of monitored exercise, education, counseling, and support to
help improve your function and quality of life. With your committed
participation, we can help you reach your best possible level of physical
function.
The Challenge of Underutilization of Cardiac Rehabilitation
Despite proven health outcomes for patients and reduced associated hospital
readmissions, patients do not always receive a referral. Our goal is to
change this and achieve a 70% or higher participation rate to address the
cardiovascular diagnosis.
Cardiac Rehabilitation: A Class 1
Recommendation for the following patients:
• Congestive Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction
• Status Post Coronary Angioplasty or Stents
• Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI)
• Acute Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack)
• Cardiac Transplantation
• Stable Angina
• Peripheral Vascular Disease
• Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG)
• Status Post Valvular Surgery
• Peripheral Artery Disease
Supervised, Personalized Therapy
We understand you may feel hesitant about embarking on an exercise program
and concerned about how it may affect your health. Through
our program,
you'll receive therapy addressing your physical health, activities of daily
living, and recreation needs in a safe, supportive, and monitored
environment. We'll carefully assess you and your health to design a
rehabilitation regimen that meets your individual needs and helps you
achieve benefits such as:
- Improved strength, endurance, and flexibility
- Less breathlessness
- More ease in performing the activities of daily living
- Increased energy to partake in hobbies, family activities, and social
events
- We also provide education and support in lifestyle modification and
disease prevention
Lower Bucks Hospital’s outpatient cardiovascular rehabilitation program is
individualized and comprehensive, designed with the goals of modifying risk
factors for heart disease and improving overall quality of life.
How do I get started?
Before leaving the hospital, or during the first check
up with your cardiologist, ask for a prescription for outpatient cardiac
rehabilitation. Current national recommendations suggest that you begin
outpatient cardiac rehabilitation one to three weeks after discharge from
the hospital.
Dr. Shahzad Ahmed MD, FACC, FSCAI, RPVI
Interventional Cardiologist, Director Cardiology
BMC Cardiology Practice, 215-785-5100
Dr. Ahmed is Board Certified in Interventional Cardiology, Cardiovascular
Medicine, Echocardiography, Nuclear Cardiology, Vascular Ultrasound, and
Internal Medicine. He was awarded the Prestigious Award of Fellow of
American College of Cardiology (FACC) in 2019 and Fellow of Society of
Cardiovascular Interventions in 2020 (FSCAI). He completed internal
medicine, cardiovascular and interventional cardiology training at Drexel
University College of Medicine. He was appointed Assistant Professor of
Medicine at Drexel University College of Medicine.
