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Cardiac Rehab

Your success and recovery are important to us even after you have been dismissed from the hospital. We offer outpatient cardiac rehab at Fillmore County Hospital. Our experienced and caring nurses will work 1:1 with you and your family to make sure your recovery is complete and you are back to feeling like yourself. Continuing with rehab after hospitalization has been proven to improve quality of life and to reduce the chances of future heart attacks and complications.

Our cardiac rehabilitation program includes:

  • Careful medical evaluation of your current health
  • A monitored exercise program of aerobic and resistance training exercises
  • Education to reduce your risk factors for heart problems
  • Stress management education
  • Nutritional counseling

What you learn and practice during our outpatient program – and after – will carry over into your daily life. We will work with you to design a personal, long-term exercise and strength training plan, and are here every step of the way to support and encourage you!

Cardiac rehabilitation helps:

  • Control symptoms of heart disease
  • Reduce cardiac risk factors, such as weight, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and smoking
  • You to be more active
  • Improve your quality of life
  • You return to your usual activities, including work

Cardiac Rehabilitation is for individuals having experienced any of the following events or conditions:

  • Angina
  • Angioplasty & stent insertion
  • Bypass graft surgery
  • Heart transplant
  • Myocardial infarction
  • Valve surgery

Outpatient studies, tests and doctors

  • Heart-Related Diagnostic Services
  • Electrocardiogram (EKG)-Wires (electrodes) are attached to your skin to measure your heart’s electrical impulses.

Stress Test

Cardiac stress testing is a very common test to determine your cardiac and pulmonary (heart and breathing) function and exercise capacity. The most common reason to do a stress test is to evaluate symptoms of chest discomfort to determine if the cause is narrowing of a heart artery.

During your test, you will have an electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG). This is a recording of your heart’s electrical activity shown as a graph, or series of wave lines on a moving strip of paper. This test provides important information about your heart, including its rate and rhythm. It also can detect a decrease in blood flow and enlargement of the heart. EKGs are non-invasive, safe and painless tests done to help determine if a heart condition exists.

Stress Tests can be performed in different ways based on the patient and may include:

  • Treadmill Stress Test
  • Pharmacologic Stress Tests
  • Heart Imaging Tests
  • Nuclear Perfusion Tests

Preparing for Your Stress Test

  • Do not eat for at least three hours before the test. If you have diabetes, please ask for specific instructions
  • Take all your medications at your prescribed times unless told to do otherwise
  • Do not use creams or oils on your chest for at least 24 hours before the test
  • Wear sneakers or comfortable shoes
  • No smoking four hours or more before the test (preferably NEVER!)
  • No caffeine-containing beverages 12 hours before the test

Monitors

When you’re heart’s not working right, you don’t feel well. But sometimes the feeling can come and go, and it’s hard to describe to your doctor. That’s where these monitors come in. You wear them under your clothes while you continue your normal activities. We’ll have you wear a monitor that will either continuously capture all your heartbeats and other vital information or will record this information when you have a time when you’re feeling that something isn’t right. This detailed information will help your doctor identify what is causing your heart problems and the next steps. We offer several different monitoring options depending on your situation.

Fillmore County Hospital offers these monitor device options:

  • Holter Monitor – worn for 24-48 hours to continuously monitor your heart and vital signs
  • Leadless Extended Wear Monitor – wireless monitor worn for seven-30 days to continuously monitor your heart and vital signs
  • Event Monitor – worn for 30 days to record your heart activity for specific events, you begin the recording when you feel heart sensations such as fluttering and other occurrences

Schedule an Appointment

Jill Hammer, BSN, RN

Cardiopulmonary Manager

(402) 759 – 3167 ext 550
jhammer@myfch.org

Staff

Jill Hammer, BSN, RN

(402) 759 – 3167 ext 550
jhammer@myfch.org

BRIANNA STEINACHER, BSN, RN

(402) 759 – 3167 ext 552
bsteinacher@myfch.org

morgan hrasky, BSN, RN

(402) 759 – 3167 ext 552
mhrasky@myfch.org

Multidisciplinary team that also includes:

Miki Loos, LMDT

Registered dietician

(402) 759 – 3167 ext 571
mloos@myfch.org

Jillyan Schmidt, LMPH

Stress and coping counselor/educator

(402) 759 – 3192 ext 713
jschmidt@myfch.org

Specialty Providers:

Ram Belbase, MBBS

Interventional Cardiologist, Cardiology

Nebraska Heart Institute

Availability: Every other Tuesday

Anand Deshmukh, MD

Interventional Cardiologist

Nebraska Heart Institute

Keith Miller, MD, PhD, FACC

Cardiology

Bryan Health Institute

Availability: Every other Tuesday

Chris Balwanz, MD

Cardiology

Bryan Health Institute

Availability:  Comes every other Tuesday

Dr. Hemantha Koduri

Interventional cardiologist and Vascular Medicine

Pioneer Heart Institute

Availability:  Comes every other Monday

The Fillmore County Hospitals’ Cardiac Rehabilitation program is certified by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR).

Programs that are certified by AACVPR are recognized as leaders in the field of cardiovascular and pulmonary rehabilitation because they offer the most advanced practices available. AACVPR program certification is the only peer-review accreditation process designed to review individual programs for adherence to standards and guidelines developed and published by AACVPR as well as other professional societies.