Cardiology

We deliver evidence-based treatment based on the most current research and best clinical practices. This includes diagnostics, treatment and rehabilitation for a variety of heart conditions, including:

• Coronary heart disease
• Heart attack and chest pain
• Heart failure
• Heart valve disease and disorders
• Irregular heartbeats or arrhythmias
• Structural or congenital heart defects
• Vascular disease

Heart health risk assessment

If recognized, people who receive emergency care quickly after heart attack symptoms begin can be treated before heart damage occurs. To ensure you can receive this level of care, we promote the importance of early heart attack care by:

• Working quickly to significantly shorten the time it takes to accurately diagnose and treat every patient who has chest pain or other heart attack symptoms.
• Using enhanced processes based on national standards and implementing a higher level of expertise when caring for patients with heart disease.
• Teaching heart-saver CPR classes to individuals and the community to enable them to help save lives.

With these steps, we're better able to care for patients who have heart disease, reduce permanent damage to heart tissue and save more people's lives.

Register for a heart-saver CPR class

Learn hands-only CPR

With two easy steps, hands-only CPR can significantly improve a person's outcomes after a sudden cardiac arrest. This method is especially useful for those who do not know traditional CPR and rescue breathing.

If someone is having a heart attack, take these steps:

• Step one: Call 911.
• Step two: Push hard and fast in the center of the person's chest—about 100 pushes (compressions) per minute.

If you or someone you know is experiencing symptoms of a heart attack, call 911.

Your heart is a muscle that can be strengthened through exercise that increases in amount and intensity over time. Through medically-supervised exercise training provided in our cardiac rehab program, you can achieve this strength.

Cardiac rehab can help people with heart problems to:

• Address risk factors that lead to coronary heart disease and problems
• Adopt healthy lifestyle changes
• Improve their health and quality of life
• Recover after a heart attack or heart surgery
• Prevent future hospital stays, heart problems and death related to heart issues

Before you begin exercising, you will complete a thorough pre-entrance exam. Your specific exercise prescription will be based on the findings of this exam. Within the guidelines of your prescription and under the supervision of our staff, you will participate in a variety of appropriate exercise activities.

Typically, cardiac rehab patients will complete three, 30-60 minute sessions of exercise, education and counseling per week for six to 12 weeks. Each session will include telemetry monitoring and multiple blood pressure checks. As you recover, we will gradually increase the intensity of your activities according to your level of fitness.

All heart patients are invited to participate in the cardiac rehab program. Your physician must refer you to our program by letter or phone call. They will be kept informed of your progress with monthly reports and direct communication when necessary.

Typical cardiac rehab patients include those recovering from:

• Angina
• Angioplasty/stent procedures
• Coronary artery disease
• Coronary bypass surgery
• Heart attacks
• Heart valve repair and replacement
• Heart transplant
• Heart failure

Our program includes education on heart-healthy living and counseling to help you adjust to lifestyle changes required after a cardiac event. This free, ongoing weekly education on heart health gives you and your family the understanding of what’s necessary to achieve a lifetime of wellness.

Education topics include:

• Exercise for a healthy heart
• Heart healthy nutrition
• Medications
• Risk factors for heart disease
• Smoking cessation
• Stress management
• Understanding and treating heart disease
• Weight control

Most insurance companies, including Medicare, will cover a large portion of our cardiac rehab program. Should your insurance company request any information, a letter and program description will be sent to them. However, you should confirm your coverage with your insurance representative prior to enrolling in the program. We also offer modified programs for those with high copays or those without insurance.

Cardiac rehab helps individuals return to a healthy, productive lifestyle following a life-changing cardiac event. To ensure that lifestyle can be maintained, after "graduating" from cardiac rehab, our hospital offers a long-term maintenance exercise program. Through this program, you can come exercise up to five days per week for a low monthly cost. This is not the same as physical therapy, but it is a crucial part of your ongoing recovery.

If a teen or adult suddenly collapses and is not breathing, you could save them by knowing this heart-smart version of a popular tune.

• Call 911.
• Push hard and fast in the center of the chest to the beat of "Stayin' Alive" — the perfect rhythm for hands-only CPR.

Continue compressions until help arrives. To avoid tiring quickly, lock your elbows and keep your arms straight and your shoulders down in a relaxed position (not up by your ears). Use your body weight, not your arms, to push. If another person is there, you can take turns if you need a rest.

Here are some great videos from the American Heart Association to help you learn hands-only CPR:

Learn Hands-Only CPR from the American Red Cross

Hands-Only CPR Instructional Video