EN
After a heart attack or heart surgery the most anxious moment is discharge. The acute danger is past, but the patient does not know how much exertion is now safe, what is allowed and what is not. Cardiac rehabilitation in Germany answers exactly that question: it turns “survived” into “back to life” — supervised and to a clear plan.
Who needs it
Cardiac rehabilitation follows a myocardial infarction, coronary bypass surgery, heart valve operations and vascular procedures, and is also used in chronic heart failure and coronary artery disease. In the German system this is most often the stage called Anschlussheilbehandlung — rehabilitation immediately after hospital, ideally in the first weeks after discharge.
How it works
Recovery of the heart in Germany is divided into stages: early mobilisation while still in hospital, then rehabilitation proper at a specialist clinic (as an inpatient, an outpatient or in a day programme) and finally the long-term maintenance of a new way of living at home. A typical course at a clinic is about three weeks, though the length depends on the severity of the case.
The point of the approach is that rehabilitation is not a spa holiday but a treatment programme under a cardiologist’s supervision. First the current state of the heart is established with functional tests and exercise testing, and then physical activity — exercise therapy and training — is dosed exactly within the limits that are safe for that heart. Alongside this run the selection and adjustment of medication, education (how to eat, how to recognise warning signs), advice on lifestyle and, where needed, psychological support — fear of exertion after a heart attack is natural, and it is worked on too.
How we help
We choose a suitable clinic for the particular case, forward the discharge letters from the hospital that operated or treated you, and agree the arrival dates — in rehabilitation after surgery, timing really matters. We take on visa support, document translation and accompaniment on site; the clinic’s invoice is paid directly.
This material is for information only and does not replace a consultation with a doctor. Whether treatment is possible, what it will involve and what it will achieve can be determined only after an examination at the clinic in person.