Cardiac Rehab Gives Patients a Second Chance

Pam Riley, clinical leader of the Grace Anne Dorney Pulmonary & Cardiac Rehabilitation Center, monitors Lew Armistead’s blood pressure as he exercises on the recumbent bike.

Lew Armistead knows that when you find something that works, you stick with it. That’s why, when he needed cardiac rehab after a second heart surgery, he came back to Grace Anne Dorney Pulmonary & Cardiac Rehabilitation Center at MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital in Leonardtown, Maryland.

Armistead, 71, of Hollywood participated in the center’s cardiac rehab program in 2014 after a heart attack and surgery to open a blocked artery. So he knew the program offered just what his doctor ordered to help him recover from surgery that repaired an aortic aneurism.

“One of the things that really impressed me about the center was the staff,” Mr. Armistead said. “They have a lot of expertise in that room, and they are very committed to working with you. Usually, people who have to go to a workout don’t especially look forward to it. The people who staff the center have such a good attitude that I looked forward to going there much more than going to my regular health club.”

The center’s program offers individualized and personalized treatment plans, which incorporate evaluation and instruction on physical activity, nutrition, stress management, and other health-related areas created for each patient.

“A lot of patients don’t know how much to push themselves after a heart attack,” said Pam Riley, BSN, RN, PCCN, clinical leader of GADC. “They have lost their confidence and self-esteem. We can bring them in and show them how much they can push themselves, and we can educate them on the signs and symptoms to look for so they don’t push too hard.”

Mr. Armistead believes in staying in good physical condition, and he attributes completing the GADC program and the education he received there in 2014 to the quick recovery he made after his second surgery.

“I thought my heart surgery was much easier than I anticipated,” he said. “People told me I would be in a lot of pain and I would have a long recovery period, but I went into my second surgery in much better physical condition than perhaps other heart surgery patients might.”

A Life-Saving Connection

When Mr. Armistead suffered a heart attack in 2014, he was under the care of a cardiologist, and he had met with a surgeon just eight days earlier to discuss correcting his aortic aneurism. So when he arrived at the Emergency Department of MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital in April 2014, he already knew who he needed to call next.

“Many cardiac patients who come to our Emergency Department can be treated here and follow up with a cardiologist after they leave,” said Dawn Yeitrakis, MS, RN, CEN, director of MedStar St. Mary’s Emergency Department. “Individuals with more complex cases, however, may need expedited treatment.”

MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital works with the MedStar Heart and Vascular Institute to ensure patients who need high-level care are quickly transported to MedStar Washington Hospital Center or the new Nancy and Harold Zirkin Heart & Vascular Hospital, a state-of-the-art cardiovascular care hospital offering expert cardiovascular services with the latest medical technology.

“Being able to connect our patients quickly to the type of care available through the MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute can be life saving,” said Ms. Yeitrakis.

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Learn more about cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation programs offered at MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital on the MedStar St. Mary’s website listed above or call 240-434-7143.

For more information and one-click access to a full list of resources available at MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital, visit its Leader member page.