Who should participate in a heart failure rehabilitation program?
All women with heart failure can benefit from some form of heart failure rehabilitation, tailored to their individual needs. Heart failure rehabilitation is a variation of cardiac rehabilitation, which is used in women with many types of heart disease, including heart attack, chest pain caused by clogged arteries, congenital heart disease, and peripheral artery disease. It is also used in women recovering from a heart procedure such as bypass surgery or angioplasty. How is heart failure rehabilitation structured? Programs are designed to fit the individual, so the length of the program can vary from weeks to months, depending on your specific needs. Rehabilitation programs require a doctor’s referral and are not typically covered by insurance, except after a procedure or surgery to treat heart disease. Most women with heart failure can safely drive themselves to rehabilitation appointments, but if you have a heart rhythm problem that can cause fainting you may need to find alternate tr
