IRCCS Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri Spa Società Benefit
Via S. Maugeri 4 - 27100 Pavia
1965
Medicina riabilitativa specialistica delle cure correlate
Prof. Walter Ricciardi
IRCCS Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri Spa Società Benefit
Cardiac Rehabilitation is the specialty of Clinical Cardiology dedicated, in all Maugeri institutes, to the care of the patient with heart disease who has undergone a recent acute event, from decompensation to heart attack, or has a chronic cardiac condition.
It is a specialty that aims to improve the patient’s quality of life and prognosis; these objectives can be achieved through a multidisciplinary intervention encompassing many important activities.
It ensures prognostic stratification, that is, it establishes the phase of the disease and what it should be possible to achieve with rehabilitation and proceeds with stabilizing the patient’s clinical condition. This is followed by optimization of the therapy, pharmacological or otherwise, and management of any co-morbidities, that is, other disorders from which the patient suffers, which are increasingly common, especially in old age. Cardiac Rehabilitation then treats any disabilities present that have been caused by the acute event, and continues and reinforces secondary prevention strategies. For example, the patient in rehabilitation can be offered individual and group health education on physical activity, be prescribed a personalized physical exercise program and be given information on diet, nutrition and weight management. Movement and good dietary practices are, in fact, central to the recovery of all patients.
The Cardiac Rehabilitation programs are coordinated by a cardiologist and carried out by a multidisciplinary team which includes, in addition to the heart specialist, nurses, physiotherapists, dietitians, and psychologists. Furthermore, various interdisciplinary interventions, with consultations concerning medical, pharmacological, psychological and social issues, are available for the management of comorbid conditions.
Since 1997, the Molecular Cardiology Clinic in the Pavia Institute, has been a national referral center for the diagnosis and treatment of hereditary arrhythmogenic diseases such as: Long QT syndrome, Brugada syndrome, Short QT syndrome, Catecholaminergic ventricular tachycardias Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, Dilated cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.