News

Cardiac Rehab changes lives

Apr 29, 2016

In the lead up to Heart Week 2016, Greenslopes Private Hospital Cardiac Rehabilitation patient, Val Burton was guest speaker at a parliamentary breakfast with the National Heart Foundation. Val, 72 talked about her story which began two and a half years ago and how cardiac rehabilitation has changed her life.

Val was on a long flight back to Australia and fell very ill with a virus which lasted over a month and left her with a slight wheeze.  Although an asthmatic the wheeze wouldn’t go away and so her GP ordered many tests including being sent for a stress echo.  

“I didn’t even finish the stress echo. The cardiologist stopped before I reached the limit.  I knew this wasn’t a good sign,” Val said.

“I was told I had angina which means my body was starved of oxygen.  And the wheeze was cardiac asthma, which I had never heard of.  The funny thing is I had no pain and haven’t.  I went on to have an angiogram which showed a narrowing (65% blocked) so I then had an angioplasty and a stent was inserted.”

Following this procedure Val started her cardiac rehabilitation at Greenslopes Private Hospital which is run by a multidisciplinary team of health professionals.

“This involved regular exercise and I was very confused the whole time whether any slight wheeze might indicate an angina attack but I still had no pain at any stage,” Val said.  

Val had another stress echo after 12 months and was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy.  Val was in shock with this news and could only think of Fiona Coote the 14 year old, whose parents begged Australia for a heart for their daughter, Dr Victor Chang’s second heart transplant patient.  

“It was the cardiac rehab nurse that explained the condition to me and assured me that I could recover. All I needed was to get moving! The education sessions in the early part of the program were very informative and covered things such as typical symptoms and their recognition, medications and their effects, dietary information (we even cooked some really healthy food), evaluating store-bought food for its nutritional value, controlling blood pressure and alleviating stress.”

“My exercise program is both aerobic and strength building. It wasn’t long before I could see the benefits.  Better strength and balance, and more aerobic endurance.  The program is tailored for me and my problems with the express aim of overcoming them.”

“I am now in the maintenance phase, for life, which for me is 3 times per week and about 1¼ hours each session.  My program is reviewed every three months and tailored to keep fitness improving. I also have a full body assessment every six months.  Each new program the exercise physiologists tweak a few things or introduce some new challenges which ensures a real sense of achievement.  I am so much fitter and stronger now,” Val said.

“I truly believe I’m alive today because of some excellent diagnosticians, good medications and a wonderful rehabilitation program.  I’m fit enough to do anything I want to do.”

For more information on the Healthy Hearts Cardiac Rehabilitation Program at Greenslopes Private Hospital contact 3394 7727 or ask your doctor for a referral.


Heart Week (1-7 May 2016) shines a spotlight on Australia’s heart health. In 2016 the Heart Foundation is talking about how attending cardiac rehabilitation after a heart attack saves lives.  

Every year 55,000 Australians have a heart attack, and for one in three of these people, it’s not their first heart attack but their second or third.  It is really concerning to think that people are surviving their heart attack but then leaving the hospital without a plan to improve their health and reduce their risk of having another attack.  
The benefits of cardiac rehabilitation are clear.  Patients who participate in a program are 25% less likely to die from another heart attack.  Attending a cardiac rehabilitation program will reduce your risk of another heart attack and dramatically improve your quality of life.

We need to work together as a community to help heart attack survivors – health professionals to refer their patients to cardiac rehabilitation programs; families to support their loved ones to attend the program and governments to create an environment where rehabilitation is valued and accessible.  

But the last word has to go to our heart attack survivors. You’ve been given a second chance – that is an incredible gift. But if you haven’t been to cardiac rehabilitation I urge you to please find the time to do so – it is important and so are you.  

For more information visit: heartfoundation.org.au/heartweek 

Cardiac Rehab patient, Val Burton and Sueann Hillman, Cardiac Rehabilitation Program Manager pictured with Happy Heart at the Heart Foundation’s parliamentary breakfast.