From the ocean to cardiac rehab
Like thousands of families each year, the Romoffs made the pilgrimage to the Jersey Shore for their annual summer vacation. Although they had made the journey before, this trip quickly became one they could never forget.
Forty-two-year-old Howard Romoff had no idea at the time, but the waves of the Atlantic Ocean would reveal the first signs of a serious health condition.
"I started to experience shortness of breath when I was in the water," explains Romoff, father of two. "I wasn't feeling right. The waves were knocking the wind out of me."
Shortly after returning from vacation, Romoff was jolted from a sound sleep with extreme heartburn-like pain in his chest. His wife, Jill, rushed him to the emergency room. Tests revealed a 90% blockage in two major arteries, and a 70% blockage in two others. Three days later, Romoff awoke in the recovery room after quadruple bypass surgery.
The road to recovery
Under a watchful eye
Returning to an active lifestyle
Knowledge is the key to prevention
Emotional support
The road to recovery
Two months and two emergency surgeries later, Romoff's long recovery advanced to the next step at the Cardiac Performance Center in Voorhees — one of Virtua Health's two conveniently located cardiac rehabilitation centers. The other is in Mt. Laurel. Here, individuals like Romoff, participate in a monitored exercise program that uses a multidisciplinary approach to manage heart disease. Candidates include those recovering from major cardiac events including heart attack, stable angina, coronary bypass surgery, angioplasty, stent implantation, cardiac transplantation and valvular surgery.
"Cardiac rehab provides patients with education and physical activity in a supportive environment," says Diane Fredrickson, RN, program director and nurse manager at the Voorhees Cardiac Performance Center. "We equip patients with the tools to become mentally and physically independent."
Under a watchful eye
Romoff, like others, had an understandable fear of physical activity after experiencing the terror of heart disease. Fredrickson helped put his mind at ease when she explained that the program is a fully monitored program, making it one of the safest places to start recovery. Participants wear a heart-monitoring device to measure heart rate and rhythm. The small transmitter sends signals to a computer that is constantly monitored by a trained registered nurse.
Such close monitoring allows for ongoing evaluation of a patient's progress and continuous communication with referring physicians. Michael Reichman, MD, medical director of the Cardiac Performance Center in Voorhees, explains that cardiac rehab is an extension of the physician's hand. "Since patients are so closely monitored, physicians receive invaluable patient information that wouldn't be available under normal conditions. We can see how well medications are working and keep track of physical progress."
Returning to an active life
Doctors refer patients to cardiac rehab for four to 12 weeks, depending upon the severity of the cardiac event and the patient's goals. "At the time, I couldn't pick up my son Noah or play soccer with my daughter Lindsey," says Romoff. "I missed my kids and they needed their dad back."
As with all patients, a trained registered nurse, an exercise physiologist, and a registered dietician worked with Romoff and his wife to develop an individual plan based on his specific needs. Each plan is designed to help patients resume normal lives such as returning to work or playing with their children.
Knowledge is the key to prevention
Education is another large part of the rehabilitation process. "Cardiac rehab gets patients involved in their own health care," says Ralph Russo, MD, medical director of the Mount Laurel program. "It teaches them how to understand and reduce their controllable risk factors after treatment." Throughout Virtua's program, participants can attend a number of educational classes on topics such as stress reduction and smoking cessation.
Emotional support
"Since patients often bear the emotional as well as the physical scars of heart disease, we work to help them understand their diagnosis and the importance of focusing on recovery and prevention," says Fredrickson. "We become a family. Participants exercise side by side with other cardiac patients and often form lasting bonds." Virtua also offers the Heart 'n Soul support group where patients and family members can share experiences.
Since leaving cardiac rehab, Romoff exercises at least three times a week, eats a healthy diet and has quit a 30-year addiction to cigarettes. He says: "They inspired me to make important changes in my life."