Fayetteville, Ga. (June 18, 2025) – Len Romano had hip replacement surgery in December of 2024. As a former college track athlete who still exercised regularly, he felt he was in good health. When his heart rate dropped post-surgery, it was recommended that he see a cardiologist. He soon discovered that he had almost a 90 percent blockage in his widowmaker artery. After a stent was placed, Romano was prescribed some time in Piedmont Fayette Hospital’s outpatient cardiac rehabilitation program.

“It was a shock to the system,” Romano said of discovering the heart issue. “You can’t see that there is anything wrong there day to day. I think I went through all the stages of grief, starting with both denial and anger.”

Romano was experiencing a lot of emotions after his heart procedure, and there was fear that he wouldn’t be able to return to the active lifestyle he led. He, like many others in the program, worried about what was next. Fortunately, what followed the procedure was 30 sessions of exercise and education supervised by nurses and trained professionals. A state-of-the-art cardiac monitoring system monitors and documents the progress of the patients, and reports are transferred to their electronic medical record after each session.

“The staff were always cheerful and encouraging,” Romano said."I think knowing that you were under their care, and they were watching for you, made it easier to test things out and push.”

In addition to the exercise, Romano talked with a dietitian and changed some eating behaviors. He dropped 10 pounds during the course of cardiac rehab and found ways to sustain the progress he had made.

“Exercise creates endorphins, and I think there was just a huge emotional relief factor from healing the mind and spirit as well as the body,” said Romano.

Cardiovascular Rehab is a comprehensive, phased program that offers education and rehabilitation to patients who recently suffered cardiac or vascular injury or who are at risk for heart disease. Using education and exercise, patients learn how to cope with limitations, change their lifestyles to reduce the risk of further cardiovascular problems and live as full and enjoyable a life as possible. A physician referral is required.

To learn more about cardiovascular services at Piedmont, visit piedmont.org/heart.