Recovery & Support for Cardiomyopathy & Heart Failure

After treatment for cardiomyopathy and heart failure, NYU Langone specialists—including doctors, nurses, rehabilitation experts, cardiac device management doctors, social workers, and psychologists—closely monitor your care.

Cardiac rehabilitation specialists at NYU Langone’s Rusk Rehabilitation counsel people who have had heart surgery about lifestyle habits that can help slow the progression of cardiomyopathy and heart failure. They offer advice on how to eat healthfully, exercise, and limit sodium, caffeine, and alcohol. Our experts can also help you to better manage stress, and to quit smoking through NYU Langone’s Tobacco Cessation Programs.

Your NYU Langone recovery program is designed to meet your specific needs. If an underlying health condition such as diabetes, kidney disease, or another serious health concern contributed to heart failure and cardiomyopathy, our rehabilitation doctors work closely with your specialists to develop a recovery plan.

Cardiac Rehabilitation

If you’ve had heart surgery, NYU Langone offers both inpatient and outpatient cardiac rehabilitation services at the Joan & Joel Smilow Cardiac Prevention & Rehabilitation Center.

NYU Langone’s cardiac rehabilitation program begins immediately after surgery. A doctor who specializes in rehabilitation medicine, called a physiatrist, evaluates you. He or she can prescribe rehabilitation therapies that you perform in bed. These help to improve your strength, mobility, and endurance, and can prevent infection and other complications of bed rest.

Most people regain enough strength and functioning to return home and continue rehabilitation therapy there. Others may need to receive inpatient rehabilitation services at Rusk Rehabilitation.

After home care services are completed, you may have outpatient cardiac rehabilitation. This includes an evaluation by a cardiac rehabilitation doctor, who prescribes exercise therapies to help you strengthen your heart and cardiovascular system to avoid future cardiovascular problems, including heart failure.

Your doctor works with a team of specialists, including occupational and physical therapists, and offer a variety of services to meet your rehabilitation needs. This may include therapies for memory loss, spatial and perceptual challenges, and cognitive difficulties, such as trouble making decisions and solving problems.

Integrative Health Therapies

NYU Langone specialists offer integrative therapies to complement conventional treatments for heart conditions. For instance, our experts offer massage therapy and acupuncture to help improve anxiety and alleviate pain.

Psychological Support

Some people who have major heart surgery experience depression afterward. Your doctor can refer you to NYU Langone social workers or psychologists, who can help you cope after a cardiovascular procedure.

You can also participate in cardiovascular support groups through Rusk Rehabilitation, where people who have had heart surgery share information and experiences in a safe and supportive atmosphere.

Cardiac Device Management

If you have a pacemaker or defibrillator implanted at NYU Langone, our team of experts at the Heart Rhythm Center provides ongoing cardiac device management to ensure that your device maintains the heart’s proper rhythm. These devices can be monitored at your doctor’s office or via telephone lines, cellular networks, or the internet.

Experts at our Heart Failure Advanced Care Center provide ongoing management of left ventricular assist devices, which help the left ventricle pump blood to the body.

They can also monitor heart function in people treated for heart failure with a wireless device called a CardioMEMS™. This device measures the pressure in the pulmonary artery, which carries blood from the heart to the lungs.