We are delighted to share with you ‘It’s Cardiac Rehab!’ – a six episode podcast series, which aims to encourage patients who have suffered a cardiac event to sign up for cardiac rehabilitation.
Developed in partnership between the Irish Association of Cardiac Rehabilitation (IACR) and the Irish Heart Foundation with support from Servier Laboratories (Ireland) Ltd., the podcast brings together cardiac rehabilitation professionals, expert clinicians, and people who have participated in cardiac rehabilitation. It also includes author Michael Harding who shares his experience of suffering an acute heart attack and its aftermath.
The series is aimed at anyone who has had a cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack, coronary artery stenting, or coronary artery bypass surgery, to help them understand more about a cardiac rehabilitation programme and what it involves.
Hosted by Anthony Burrows of Servier Laboratories Ireland, the podcast will feature discussions on a variety of topics including exercise, medication, healthy eating, and the psychological impact of living with heart disease.
Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death in Ireland – 4,121 lives were lost to coronary heart disease in 2021. But less than a third of survivors of serious heart events receive lifesaving cardiac rehab.
“As well as improving quality of life and exercise capacity, completing a cardiac rehabilitation programme has been proven to reduce cardiac mortality by 26% (and up to 40% after coronary artery bypass), and reduces hospital readmissions by 18%,” said Deirdre O’Reilly, Cardiac Rehabilitation Coordinator and IACR President.
Dr Angie Brown, Medical Director with the Irish Heart Foundation said that cardiac rehabilitation is “a vital lifeline for people dealing with the physical and psychological effects of heart attacks, which can be both significant and detrimental to their long-term recovery”.
But perhaps cardiac rehabilitation is best described by those who have attended it and call it “a life-changing and life-saving decision”.
This project is closely aligned with our Vocation, Vision and Values at Servier, as we remain committed to therapeutic progress to serve patients’ needs and continue to put the patient at the heart of all our actions, from research to support beyond the pill.
You may listen to the podcast by clicking HERE, or you can access it via your usual podcast platform such as Apple, Spotify etc.
New episodes will be added weekly for the month of July 2022, remember to subscribe to be notified of the new content.
