Cardiovascular Diseases in Florida

Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Program

The Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Program at Mayo Clinic in Florida is designed to improve the health and quality of life of people who have heart, lung and vascular disease.

Cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation programs help you to lead an active, productive life — mentally, physically and socially. The staff in the Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Program cares for people who have a history of cardiovascular or pulmonary disease and those who are at risk of developing these conditions. A team of specialists in cardiovascular diseases, pulmonary medicine and other areas review your medical history and dietary, psychological and lifestyle habits to determine the most appropriate approach for you.

The Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Program offers you a comprehensive plan, including:

• Highly supervised exercise training
• Medical evaluation
• Nutrition counseling
• Personalized education
• Physical and occupational therapy
• Preventive medications
• Psychological and pharmacological counseling
• Referrals to other medical areas as necessary
• Risk-factor assessment and risk reduction services
• Smoking cessation counseling

Specific program goals include:

• Increasing your lifespan (for people in cardiac rehabilitation)
• Improving your quality of life
• Helping you adjust physically and psychologically to your heart or pulmonary illness
• Improving your exercise tolerance
• Reducing your cardiac or pulmonary symptoms
• Reducing your cardiac or pulmonary risk factors to help prevent future cardiac problems or progression of pulmonary disease
• Providing education and counseling to improve your understanding of your condition
• Providing guidance on return to work, when applicable

Doctors may recommend cardiac or pulmonary rehabilitation if you have had one or more of several conditions or procedures, including:

• Angina (chest pain)
• Angioplasty, atherectomy or stent placement
• Asthma
• Bronchiectasis
• Chronic bronchitis
• Chronic lung disease
• Congestive heart failure
• Cystic fibrosis
• Emphysema
• Heart attack
• Heart transplantation
• Interstitial fibrosis
• Lung transplantation
• Occupational/environmental lung disease
• Open heart surgery (including coronary bypass surgery or heart valve repair and replacement)
• Respiratory failure
• Sarcoidosis

In the Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Program, you'll receive care from an experienced team of specialists, including:

• Cardiologists
• Pulmonologists
• Specially trained nurses
• Respiratory therapists
• Exercise physiologists
• Physical therapists
• Registered dietitians

The Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Program is located on the second floor of the Mayo Building. Typically, people spend six to 12 weeks in rehabilitation, attending sessions that meet for one to two hours on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Appointments

The program requires a doctor's evaluation and referral to enroll in cardiac or pulmonary rehabilitation. Most major insurance carriers and Medicare cover Mayo Clinic's Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Program. Medicare does not yet cover cardiac rehabilitation for congestive heart failure.

For more information or to request an appointment, call
904-956-3390 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern time Monday through Friday.

Physician staff
David B. Erasmus, M.D.