Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation in Vellore

Cardiopulmonary rehabilitation is a monitored programme of exercise, breathing training and lifestyle education for people living with heart or lung conditions. Backed by decades of evidence, it reduces future cardiac events by 20–30%, cuts COPD exacerbations, and improves quality of life more reliably than most medications.

At Dr. Karolin Rockson PT we run a structured cardiopulmonary rehab pathway for patients after heart attack (MI), coronary bypass (CABG), valve replacement, and heart failure, and for patients living with COPD, interstitial lung disease (ILD), post-COVID lung sequelae, bronchiectasis and pulmonary hypertension. Sessions include heart-rate and oxygen monitoring, and we coordinate directly with your cardiologist or pulmonologist.

The programme is delivered as 8–12 weeks of 2–3 supervised sessions per week, with a home walking programme and weekly WhatsApp check-ins. Home-visit and online-supervised options are available for patients who cannot travel.

CMC Vellore is a national referral centre for cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery and pulmonology. Many patients are discharged with medications but no structured rehab — that gap causes preventable readmissions. Our programme starts within 1–2 weeks of discharge for cardiac cases and within 4 weeks for post-COVID patients.

Vellore's dusty summer and cool damp winter mornings are hard on COPD and asthma patients. We plan exercise timing, indoor alternatives and pollution-aware routines that fit local weather.

Cardiac rehab phases: Phase I in-hospital (bed exercises, sitting, standing), Phase II outpatient supervised (8–12 weeks, our main service), Phase III community maintenance (long-term walking, resistance training, lifestyle).

Pulmonary rehab components: aerobic exercise (walking, cycle ergometer), resistance training for peripheral muscles, breathing retraining, airway clearance where indicated, and structured education on inhaler technique, nutrition and flare-up management.

Monitoring during sessions: continuous HR strap, intermittent BP, continuous pulse oximetry for COPD/ILD/long-COVID cases, Borg RPE (6–20) after every set. Sessions are held to safe symptom and vitals thresholds.

Sternal precautions post-CABG or valve surgery: no lifting >5 kg, no pushing/pulling with the arms, no reaching behind, and controlled cough support for the first 6 weeks. We build exercise around these constraints from week 1.

COPD-specific work: pursed-lip breathing, forward-lean positioning during dyspnoea, energy conservation for ADLs, and inhaler-technique review at every session. We check spacer use and rescue-inhaler timing.

Long COVID caution: post-exertional symptom exacerbation (PESE) is a red flag against standard graded exercise. We screen with a 24-48h symptom-response check before prescribing progressive exercise, and start with pacing where PESE is present.

Evidence: cardiac rehab reduces cardiovascular mortality by 20–30% and readmissions by ~30% (Cochrane 2021). Pulmonary rehab improves 6-minute walk distance by 40–60 m (clinically meaningful) and reduces COPD exacerbations by ~40%.

Insurance and pricing: cardiac and pulmonary rehab sessions are billed as physiotherapy and covered by most private outpatient policies. We provide detailed session notes, monitoring logs and progress reports for claims.