HeartCare Services

Educates cardiac patients on cardiac health and risk factors including, but not limited to: smoking cessation, lipid management, the effects of diabetes on the heart, and maintaining heart-healthy blood glucose levels. The Cardiac Educator is also involved with the education of patients on pre- and post-cardiac procedures, assists in educating patients on prescribed medications prior to procedures, assists in coordinating cardiac rehab while patient is both an inpatient and outpatient, and consults with a dietician to see patients with modifiable cardiac risk factors. Educator also assists in referring patients with modifiable cardiac risk factors to community education programs such as:

• Adult Diabetic Support Group
• Heart Club
• Diabetes Awareness
• Fresh Start
• Great American Smoke-Out
• Heart Health Fair
• Women's Heart Health

Risk Stratification and Pre- and Post-Cardiac Surgery Patient Education is provided.

This specialized unit with lower nurse-to-patient ratio for post-cardiac surgery patients is a 12-bed unit located on the second floor.

Outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation is the specific educational and progressive rehabilitation program for cardiac patients.

• Provides educational and outpatient rehabilitative services to a multitude of patient populations including cardiac, pulmonary and diabetic patients.
• Heart Club is a monthly support group for cardiac patients/survivors.
• A variety of workshops, seminars and special programs are also available to meet community education needs.
• Out patient pulmonary rehabilitation is also offered.

Intensive Care Unit for post-cardiovascular surgery patients is an eight-bed unit located on the northeast wing of the first floor. A waiting room is located on the intermediate level of the Heartcare Center. There are also three private family waiting/consultation rooms.

• Electrocardiography (EKG): the electrocardiogram is a recording of the heart's electrical activity as a graph on a moving strip of paper. This gives the physician important information about the heart, such as heart rate and rhythm, from which the physician can infer medical conditions and past heart history.
• Ultrasound
  • Carotid Ultrasound Imaging-unilateral and bilateral imaging available.
  • Venous Ultrasound Imaging-unilateral and bilateral imaging available.
  • Echocardiography: a non-invasive method used to visualize actual motions and physical properties of the heart. Transmitting pulses of high frequency sounds and receiving the echo signal, this sophisticated ultrasound instrument is one of the latest advances in identifying heart malfunction. Studies are done with Doppler and color flow and contrast medium as needed.
  • Stress and Dobutamine Echocardiography: combines the modalities of echocardiography and cardiac stress testing to evaluate the heart function non-invasively.
  • Transesophageal Echocardiography: allows the interpreting physician to visualize cardiac structures on patients who are normally difficult to image and is an excellent vehicle for ruling out thrombus source in the heart as well as evaluation of LV on hand to image patients.
  • Echo contrast is added to Echocardiography studies to enhance LV images as needed.
  • Peripheral artery imaging-lower and upper imaging available.
• Cardiac Stress Testing: diagnostic treadmill testing, stress echocardiography and nuclear myocardial perfusion imaging studies, both pharmacological and physiological stress are available.
• Holter monitoring: A recording and scanner provide printouts of heart activity obtained from the Holter monitor. Data analysis by the scanner enables patients to benefit from increased evaluation time.
• Pulmonary function testing: simple spirometry, nitrogen wash studies and/or body plethysmograph or FRC, flow volume loops and diffusion studies. Bronchodilation done on request.
• Arterial Segmental Doppler: upper and lower extremity studies performed as well as rest and exercise studies.

St. Bernards Chest Pain Center (within the Emergency Room) is open 24 hours a day offering immediate care for patients experiencing chest pain. The unit houses six available beds and our staff is specially trained to handle this type of emergency. A cardiologist is on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Cardiac catheterization is the most definitive means of evaluating patients for coronary artery disease. Electrophysiology allows the physician to determine the cause of heart rhythm disturbances.

• As part of our comprehensive HeartCare Center, St. Bernards offers a complete, properly equipped, fully staffed Electrophysiology Program.
• Our physicians have the ability to perform atrial fibrillation ablations and have access to general anesthesia during AF ablation cases, thanks to recent technology and equipment updates in the medical center’s EP Lab. Renovations in our Cath labs have also given us more square footage in the two state-of-the-art procedure rooms.
• New advanced equipment additions include the Siemens Acuson X300 System ICE (Intracardiac Echocardiography), Philips FD 20 Imaging System, Maestro Ablation RF System, Stockert 70 Generator with Coolflow Pump, and a new EP Med Recording System.
• To learn more about Electrophysiology, click here.

• Coronary balloon angioplasty (PTCA), coronary stent placement, Vascular Brachytherapy and Laser Athrectomy are available as options for treatment of specific coronary and peripheral artery lesions (both drug eluting and traditional stents are available).
• Ablation and implantable devices such as Pacemakers and Internal Cardiac Defibrillators are options for rhythm disturbances.

Therapy, including Fibrinolytic Tissue Plasminogen Activator (TPA), Activase, and Retevase are available as well as 2b3a platelet-inhibitors.

• The medical center provides a complete range of cardiac services including procedures such as repair and replacement of heart valves, cardiac revascularization and repair and reconstruction of intrathoracic vessels.
• Open heart surgery is a highly specialized procedure utilizing a heart-lung bypass machine (the "pump") which performs outside-of-the-body circulation and oxygenation during surgery.
• Open heart surgery includes a wide range of procedures designed to correct both congenital and acquired cardiac and coronary artery disease.
• Off Pump Cases are also performed in which this specialized surgery is performed without the use of the heart lung machine. Open heart surgery without the use of the heart lung machine often reduces risks and complications. There is also a quicker recovery time following surgery.
• AICD (Automatic Implantable Connecter Defibrillator), an implantable device to regulate heart rhythm, is also available.

Telemetry monitoring available hospital-wide.