News
Beebe Medical Center Cardiac Patient Sets Cardiac Rehab Record
02/21/11
Beebe Medical Center Cardiac patient Vic Pesce makes exercise a priority. He is the first patient in Beebe Medical Center's Cardiac Rehabilitation Program's Phase III maintenance program to attend for a year without missing a day.
We're proud of him, says Debbie Pfaffenhauser, RN, MSN, APN, the Cardiac Rehab Department's Lead Registered Nurse. He is committed to maintaining a regular exercise program as he focuses on improving his overall lifestyle.
An exercise program is important in any rehabilitation regimen for patients with heart disease, who have suffered a heart attack or who have had a cardiac intervention or surgery. However, the exercises must be safe and appropriate for the condition and ability of the patient. The patient also must be under the care of a physician.
Mr. Pesce, who lives in Milton, had open heart surgery and subsequently participated in Beebe Medical Center's Cardiac Rehabilitation program. He was so satisfied with the quality of the program that he requested to attend the new Phase III maintenance program. The program was established in 2009 to accommodate patients that wanted to continue their exercise regimens at the supervised Beebe Medical Center facility after they had completed the cardiac rehabilitation Phase II program.
The Cardiac Rehabilitation program was established in 1982. Each patient has been diagnosed with a cardiovascular event or illness. The program is designed to limit the effects of cardiac illness, reduce the risk for sudden death or relapse, control cardiac symptoms, and stabilize, or even improve, the patient's condition, enhancing the patient's quality of life.
Last year the program was again awarded recertification through the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR).
Some people are ready to go to training at the gym, but some are not, Mrs. Pfaffenhauser explains. This program gives them a place to go where they feel comfortable.
The Phase III maintenance program is similar to a gym membership. To be eligible, members must be graduates of Beebe Medical Center's Cardiac Rehab Phase II program. They pay a monthly fee to exercise in the gym under the supervision of nurses and exercise physiologists.
Caption: Vic Pesce works out on the Airdyne Bike with encouragement from Beebe exercise physiologist Seth Kuchar, MS, CES.
Beebe Medical Center is a not-for-profit community medical center with a charitable mission to encourage healthy living, prevent illness, and restore optimal health with the people residing, working, or visiting in the communities we serve. For more information, please visit us online at www.beebemed.org
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