A GRADUATE OF the Institute of Rehabilitative Sciences (IRS) who is now a cardiologist gave a Balik-Talent lecture endorsing the benefits of cardiac rehabilitation last Aug. 22 at Angelo King Building.
Dr. Brian Joseph Calinawagan, the IRS alumnus, emphasized in his lecture that cardiac rehab is a cardiovascular risk reduction measure that needs to be taken to lessen the cases of possible heart attacks and surgeries.
“Exercise-based cardiac rehab is associated with lower risk of mortality. Patients in cardiac rehab program perform better than those who don’t,” Dr. Calinawagan said.
Cardiac rehab makes use of physical activity to prevent heart problems such as arteriosclerosis cardiovascular disease and coronary artery disease or restore back to health those patients who underwent cardiac surgeries.
Calinawagan also mentioned that physical therapists should support the implementation and practice of cardiac rehab
Cardiac rehab that a physical therapist could perform with prescription of a cardiologist include patient assessment, exercise training, physical activity counseling, smoking cessation, nutritional counseling, weight management, lipid management, blood pressure management, diabetes management, psychosocial counseling, sexual counseling, and alcohol drinking counseling.
St. Lukes Medical Center, and recently, the hospitals in Cebu are practicing the complete cardiac rehab program but only few patients are in the program for there is a wrong referral from other cardiologists.
Calinawagan also mentioned that the biggest problem for the cardiac rehabilitation is that it is costly. He said that Philhealth should include this to their affiliated rehab programs.
Dr. Lynn Olegario, an IRS faculty, mentioned that in the new specialty facility currently being constructed in SU Medical Center, the therapy center may include a cardiac rehab facility.
