The Physiotherapy department at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB) provides a clinical team to support all aspects of cardiac services, including invasive and non-invasive cardiology, cardiac and cardiothoracic surgery, and cardiac rehabilitation.

The role of this team is to provide respiratory care, acute rehabilitation, advice and any appropriate and necessary information following a cardiac event to ensure optimal recovery. The physiotherapists have a wide range of knowledge and skills to deal with all aspects of patient recovery and are supported by a cardiac clinical specialist.

How does physiotherapy help?

Cardiac and cardiothoracic surgery

QEHB has one of the largest cardiac and cardiothoracic centres in Europe, performing several hundred heart and aortic operations each year. In addition, there is a comprehensive thoracic transplantation programme.

Due to the nature of the surgery, physiotherapy plays a large part in the early post-operative recovery and subsequent patient discharge process.

Physiotherapy intervention commences in the immediate post-operative phase within the Critical Care Unit, where early patient assessment is vital to minimise post-operative complications within the lungs.

Physiotherapy intervention ensures patients achieve a level of fitness and function that enables discharge home and allows for the progression and improvement of exercise tolerance once in the home environment.

At approximately six weeks following surgery, those patients who have undergone coronary bypass grafting are offered a place on the cardiac rehabilitation programme, which is pivotal not only to continued improvement of the cardiovascular system but also to general fitness, mobility and confidence.

Cardiology

Physiotherapy benefits patients who have suffered an acute event such as:

• acute myocardial infarction (heart attack)
• percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI/stenting)
• permanent pacemaker insertion

Although early physiotherapy following these events may not be necessary, or can be limited by the severity of the event, early activity after the event is essential to ensure recovery.

Following discharge from hospital, cardiology patients may be referred into follow-up clinics and from there into cardiac rehabilitation, in accordance with standards set in the national service framework and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines for cardiac rehabilitation.

Lead Clinician

Pat Atherley - Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist, Cardiac Surgery.

Contact

Email: QEHBphysio@uhb.nhs.uk