Joan & Joel Smilow Cardiac Prevention & Rehabilitation Center

At NYU Langone’s Joan and Joel Smilow Cardiac Prevention and Rehabilitation Center, we help patients recover from cardiac conditions, such as heart attack, irregular heartbeat, or arrhythmia; congestive heart failure; heart muscle conditions, such as cardiomyopathy; and peripheral vascular disease. We also care for people who have had surgical procedures, including coronary angioplasty and stenting; coronary artery bypass surgery; pacemaker or defibrillator placement; cardiac valve repair or replacement; left ventricular assist device surgery; and heart transplantation.

We are the largest cardiac inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation program in the New York region. Our medical team, staffed by Rusk Rehabilitation physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians and NYU Langone Heart cardiologists, offers a holistic approach to recovery. We bring together nurses, physical therapists and occupational therapists, psychologists, recreational therapists, social workers, nutritionists, and exercise physiologists to create a customized care plan that you can sustain in your daily life.

Inpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation Program

Inpatient cardiac rehabilitation begins at NYU Langone’s Tisch Hospital, where our providers help you become well enough to return home after a hospital stay. These are some of the program’s most important treatment goals:

• maximize your strength, balance, walking, and ability to perform daily activities
• perform daily activities, such as bathing and dressing
• educate you about medication management
• help you start a lifestyle modification program, which may include quitting smoking, losing weight, exercising, and controlling diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure
• create a plan to help you reintegrate with the community

After you return home, rehabilitation therapists from a community home healthcare agency may meet with you two or three times a week. As you become stronger, you transition to our outpatient cardiac rehabilitation program.

Outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation Program

Our center’s 12-week outpatient cardiac rehabilitation program includes physician-monitored exercise, heart health education, and specialized monitoring for people with diabetes. These are the program’s goals:

• improve your strength, endurance, and general wellbeing
• reduce heart disease symptoms, such as shortness of breath and fatigue
• improve your heart disease risk factors, including blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels
• optimize your weight and support healthier behaviors, such as quitting smoking
• manage stress and improve your psychosocial wellbeing

After completing the program, you receive a personalized wellness plan with exercise, nutrition, and lifestyle recommendations. Some patients may continue in our maintenance program to focus on self-monitored exercise and lifestyle changes. You are also encouraged to join a cardiovascular disease support group, such as Mended Hearts.