At Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute, we provide compassionate, personalized care for our cardiac rehabilitation patients. We will work closely with you to help you build strength and stamina after a heart attack, heart procedure or heart failure diagnosis.

Our team brings expertise from all areas of cardiovascular care with the goal of helping prevent future health problems. We understand that rehabilitation is not a one-size-fits-all approach, so we will develop a rehabilitation plan that fits your specific condition and abilities. Ultimately, our hope for patients is graduation from the rehabilitation program and improvement in their overall health. The goal is that at the end of the program patients are confident to exercise on their own and empowered to maintain a healthier lifestyle.

Why do I need cardiac rehabilitation?

Cardiac rehabilitation helps patients build heart strength and function after a cardiac event, such as a heart attack, or in response to heart failure. Rehabilitation can also help reduce symptoms or side effects after treatment, such as after stent placement.

Who benefits from cardiac rehabilitation?

Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute’s cardiac rehabilitation program can help patients who have experienced symptoms or conditions including:

  • Heart attack (myocardial infarction)
  • Arrhythmia
  • Angina or chest pain
  • Congenital heart disease 
  • Decreased blood flow from the heart

You may also benefit from cardiac rehabilitation if you have had:

  • Stent placement
  • Open-heart surgery
  • Balloon angioplasty
  • Heart transplant
  • Pacemaker placement

Our rehabilitation team also has extensive experience helping patients with heart failure. We understand the complicated nature of heart failure and will work with you to put you on a path to a more active lifestyle.

  • 34%

    Less than 34 percent of patients who have experienced a cardiac event participate in cardiac rehabilitation.
  • Cardiac Rehab

    Can help you live longer and lessen your chances for another heart attack, control heart disease symptoms and improve overall health and wellness.

What does Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute’s Cardiac Rehabilitation Program include?

Our cardiac rehabilitation program consists of three sessions per week over 12 weeks, totaling 36 sessions. However, this may vary depending on your symptoms and condition. Your rehabilitation program will include supervised workouts with exercise physiologists and other specialists. We will also develop a personalized exercise plan for your recovery. Your exercise rehabilitation is comprised of three phases:
  • Phase 1 – You will meet with your care team to talk about your condition, symptoms and goals for rehabilitation.
  • Phase 2 – You will start a supervised exercise regimen with your care team, who will track your improvement over time.
  • Phase 3 – You will come in to exercise but will not need close monitoring while you work out. Staff will be on hand in case you need help.

As of March 2020, Phase 3 of cardiac rehab has closed. This is a safety precaution to limit visitors and solely focus on patients who require immediate attention to improve their cardiac status in the acute phase. As an alternative, Phase 3 patients have all received a communication about the closure and have been referred to the Hilton Dadeland gym and Pinecrest Wellness, where they can continue as a maintenance patient under the supervision of an exercise physiologist.

In addition to exercise, the rehabilitation program includes:

  • Nutrition counseling
  • Smoking cessation courses and other disease prevention education
  • Stress management
  • Counseling about your specific condition or disease, including advice on managing side effects and symptoms

Ultimately, we strive for our patients to complete rehabilitation and graduate after 12 weeks. Our current graduation rate is higher than the national average for rehabilitation programs.

Conditions & Treatments

Learn more about cardiac rehabilitation.
Our Approach

Our Approach

When you come to Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute for cardiac rehabilitation, you can expect:

  • Compassionate, supportive treatment from a team who cares about you as a person.
  • An encouraging and supportive environment.
  • A team approach that brings together a diverse group of specialists dedicated to your recovery.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • We have many heart failure specialists on our rehabilitation team. These specialists understand the complicated nature of heart failure and can help you overcome hurdles of the disease to lead a more active life.

  • Our chest pain program helps us start treatment faster for patients who arrive in Baptist Health emergency rooms with chest pain. The program includes specific guidelines on how to quickly and effectively assess, diagnose and treat patients with chest pain.

Our program follows guidelines set by:

Our program follows guidelines set by:

  • The American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation
  • The American Heart Association
  • The American College of Sports Medicine
Photo of Cristina Totorica-Gil
"They walked me through it from the very beginning. They were very supportive and made me feel at home. I was being monitored and it made me feel very safe."

Meet the Team

Our team includes a diverse group of cardiologists who are able to provide all aspects of heart care, including electrophysiologists, interventional cardiologists, lipidologists, surgeons and rehabilitation specialists.