Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation & Prevention

Joan and Joel Smilow Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation & Prevention Center

[View the Cardiac Rehabilitation and Prevention Center Video] 

Designed to promote strength, function and wellbeing, the comprehensive cardiac programs at the Smilow Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation and Prevention Center focus on monitored, personalized exercise therapy. Also featuring nutrition and lifestyle management, they encompass:

Primary prevention and wellness promotion: screening and treatment of risk factors — through education, peer group support, exercise and medical supervision—before the onset of cardiovascular disease;

Secondary prevention: help with improving identified cardiac risk factors once heart disease has been diagnosed.

Inpatient Program
The inpatient cardiac rehabilitation program, with an average length of stay of seven to 12 days, provides over three hours of therapy daily, including:

  • 90 minutes of monitored aerobic exercise in the cardiac gym
  • Individual treatments with occupational and physical therapists
  • Educational seminars
  • Nursing intervention for medication and diabetic education
  • Psychological evaluation for behavioral changes and emotional support
  • Psychosocial evaluation for community reintegration
  • Nutritional counseling

Cardiac Conditions Treated

  • Angina
  • Arrhythmias, pacemaker and defibrillator placement
  • Cardiomyopathy
  • Cardiac valve repair / replacement
  • Congestive heart failure (treatment includes the Living with Heart Failure Program — support, therapy and supervision for patients and their caregivers to enhance physical and emotional health, wellbeing, and overall ability to function in society)
  • Coronary angioplasty and stenting
  • Coronary artery bypass (CABG) surgery
  • Myocardial infarction
  • Peripheral vascular disease

Pulmonary Rehabilitation
The goals of the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program are to improve function, reduce symptoms such as breathlessness, reduce stress and anxiety, teach patients the proper techniques of taking their medication, and enhance their quality of life.

Inpatient program
The inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation program, with an average length of stay of 10-14 days, provides over three hours of therapy daily, including:

  • 90 minutes of monitored aerobic exercise, with oxygen supplementation as needed
  • Pulmonary physical therapies, including secretion clearance and breathing exercises
  • Energy conservation, pacing and task simplification techniques
  • Individual functional training with occupational and physical therapists
  • Psychological interventions for stress management, relaxation and smoking cessation
  • Psychosocial evaluation for community reintegration
  • Nutrition management.

Pulmonary Conditions Monitored

  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases - emphysema and chronic bronchitis
  • Asthma • Bronchiectasis
  • Restrictive diseases—kyphoscoliosis, sarcoidosis, pulmonary fibrosis
  • Neuromusculoskeletal diseases— spinal cord injury, muscular dystrophy, polio
  • Lung volume reduction, lobectomy and pneumonectomy
  • Lung transplant

NYU Cardiac Rehabilitation and Prevention Center Video
 Note: This video requires Windows Media Player for a PC or Flip4Mac for Macintosh users.