Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital has opened a cardiac rehabilitation center dedicated to helping cardiovascular disease patients recover after treatment and prevent recurrence. The center provides detailed cardiopulmonary assessment, individualized exercise prescriptions and rehabilitation therapy in a single facility.
The hospital said on the 18th that the center opened on the 15th of this month and has begun full operations. Cardiac rehabilitation helps patients regain physical and exercise capacity and avoid recurrence after conditions such as angina, myocardial infarction and heart failure, or after procedures including coronary intervention, bypass surgery and heart valve surgery.
Rather than starting patients on exercise immediately, the center first analyzes electrocardiogram readings, blood pressure, heart rate and respiration through cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET). Medical staff then prescribe the intensity and type of exercise for each patient based on the test results, underlying conditions and physical function.
Patients subsequently undergo exercise therapy in stages using equipment such as treadmills and cycle ergometers. The center has also installed monitoring and emergency response systems that continuously track changes in heart rate, blood pressure and electrocardiogram readings during exercise and allow immediate response to warning signs.
Dedicated nurses and physical therapists are stationed at the center, and the hospital has established a multidisciplinary care system involving the departments of rehabilitation medicine, cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery. Through this, the hospital plans to strengthen a cardiovascular care system that extends beyond acute treatment such as procedures and surgery to cover treatment, recovery, recurrence prevention and a return to daily life.
"For cardiovascular disease, what matters is not only treatment at the critical moment but also continuous management afterward so patients can return to a healthy daily life and avoid recurrence," said Kim Hyung-soo, director of Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital.
