Cardiac rehab can help people with either congenital or acquired heart disease. Rehab can often improve function and reduce symptoms.

One of the most important factors in a patient's recovery is family involvement and support in his or her rehab.

Rehabilitation services are provided in many different places, including hospitals, long-term care facilities, and community health centers.

Over the long term, your quality of life is tied to how severe your heart attack was and how it was treated. Beyond that, any change will depend largely on you.

A rehabilitation program often can help heart patients live better with their disease and recover from medical procedures like surgery and angioplasty. But experts say that only 25 percent of those who could benefit from cardiac rehab are getting it.