Humboldt General Hospital has the only certified cardiac rehabilitation program between Reno and Salt Lake City.
HGH cardiac rehab outpatients like Gerald Hughes, Bill Hammond and Will Wesel, who were all treated at Renown, would otherwise have to travel to Reno three times a week to be part of a cardiac rehab program.
Physical therapist Mike Snow and other therapists from Rehab Services of Nevada are contracted with the hospital for cardiac rehab as well as rehabilitation services for inpatients.
Snow said it's impressive a small hospital has a cardiac rehab program.
Louis Mendiola, HGH wellness coordinator, oversees the program. He explained participants are continuously monitored. He said a technician with monitoring equipment watches for any changes in heart wave forms, watches to ensure heart rate is appropriate and looks for any indication the heart is not getting enough oxygen.
The $40,000 monitoring system has a printout of the heart's performance during the 30-minute exercise session. The three men's cardiologists in Reno can view the results.
Mendiola noted there was a time when heart patients were ordered on bed rest for four to six weeks.
Studies in the 1950s and '60s showed patients with many types of heart disease responded positively to monitored exercise; still, cardiac rehab took several more decades to become the standard of care it is today.
In addition to individually tailored exercise, cardiac rehab programs include patient education and modification of risk factors.
Paramedic Lacy Constable does about 90 percent of the monitoring during cardiac rehab sessions. Three other paramedics are also trained on the equipment.
"Because we're able to share personnel with HGH EMS we're able to offer cardiac rehab," Mendiola said. "Otherwise we could never afford to hire someone and keep their skills current."
Participation in the program requires a cardiologist's referral and only certain forms of heart problems are treated with cardiac rehab.
The program can handle four patients each hour and the physical therapy-exercise room at the hospital is scheduled for cardiac rehab three hours a day, three days a week.
Constable explained an important element of the cardiac rehab program is to teach patients to be self-aware.
"We take them off the monitor after about 10 sessions so we can teach them to notice how they are feeling, understand how they should feel and evaluate their status," Constable said. "It builds self-confidence."[[In-content Ad]]
