Heart Disease Diagnosis and Treatment

 

Expert Care Close to Your Heart

Whether you need long-term care to treat ongoing heart issues or you’re coming in for an emergency, at CHI St. Vincent Heart Institute, your heart health is our highest priority. The result is comprehensive care using advanced technology and evidence-based medicine. You’ll find the highest-quality care for issues ranging from high blood pressure to arrhythmias like atrial fibrillation (AFib), from heart valve disease, to heart failure. In every case we put your health goals first. With locations across Arkansas, you will be able to find a heart specialist or clinic close to you.

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Heart Conditions We Treat

 

Heart Disease Tests and Diagnosis

Your cardiologist may conduct a variety of cardiac tests to gather important information about your heart and circulation. We treat all types of heart disease from serious heart attacks to chronic heart conditions, such as atrial fibrillation (AFib) to heart failure and valve replacement.

 

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is the narrowing of the arteries to the legs, stomach, arms and head. PAD (also called PVD, or peripheral vascular disease) is most common in the arteries in the pelvis and legs. Learn more>>
Stress tests evaluate how well your blood is flowing to your heart.  
A cardiac CT scan is a painless imaging test that uses x rays to take many detailed pictures of your heart and its blood vessels. Computers can combine these pictures to create a three-dimensional (3D) model of the whole heart. If your physician suspects coronary artery disease and orders a coronary CT, your doctor may decide that you are eligible for a HeartFlow Analysis. This imaging test can help doctors detect or evaluate coronary heart disease, calcium buildup in the coronary arteries, problems with the aorta, problems with heart function and valves, and pericardial disease.
Your doctor may recommend a cardiac catheterization for various reasons. The most common reason is to evaluate chest pain.Cardiac catheterization can show whether plaque is narrowing or blocking your coronary arteries.
A Holter monitor is a battery-operated portable device that measures and tape records your heart's activity (ECG) continuously for 24 to 48 hours or longer depending on the type of monitoring used. The device is the size of a small camera. It has wires with silver dollar-sized electrodes that attach to your skin.
An echocardiogram takes sound wave pictures of your heart to find problems with your heart valves and measure the strength of your heart muscle. 

Heart Disease Treatments and Procedures

If you are diagnosed with a heart disease, our heart doctors will develop a treatment plan for you that may include medication, lifestyle changes or surgery. We will share that treatment plan with your primary care provider so that all the doctors you see will know what care you are getting. With locations across Arkansas, you will be you will be able to find a heart specialist or  clinic close to you.

Catheter ablation is an minimally-invasive procedure used to remove or terminate a faulty electrical pathway from sections of the hearts of those who are prone to developing cardiac arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation (AFib), atrial flutter, supraventricular tachycardias (SVT) and Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

Our heart specialists use advanced procedures to treate patent foramen ovale (PFO) and atrial septal defect (ASD).

We offer our heart patients cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation to help them get back on their feet after a heart attack or a heart procedure.
If you have Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) and are unable to tolerate blood thinners like warfarin, the WATCHMAN device provides an alternative for preventing strokes.
If you have Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) or heart arrhythmias, a pacemaker or implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) can help by continuously monitoring your heart's electrical system and providing automatic correction when an arrhythmia starts to occur.
Lipid management is an important part of treating heart disease. A lipid is a fatty substance that can't dissolve in blood. Cholesterol, cholesterol compounds and triglycerides are all lipids. They are transported in the blood as part of large molecules called lipoproteins. Abnormalities in lipids can contribute to heart disease.
VADs, which are used as bridges to transplants for people with advanced heart failure, are machines that help a weakened heart pump blood throughout the body, most often giving lifesaving support to patients unable to wait for a donor heart to become available.
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a less invasive option that we offer for patients with severe heart valve disease who are high-risk or too sick for open heart surgery. 
Angioplasty opens blocked arteries and restores normal blood flow to your heart muscle. It is not major surgery. It is done by threading a catheter (thin tube) through a small puncture in a leg or arm artery to the heart. The blocked artery is opened by inflating a tiny balloon in it.

Atherectomy involves techniques similar to those used for angioplasty. The difference is that atherectomy uses special tools to remove the plaque buildup from the artery wall.

A stent is a tiny wire mesh tube. It props open an artery and is left there permanently. 

Minimally Invasive Procedures

CHI St. Vincent offers minimally invasive procedures to help minimize downtime and the risk of complications. Some of our minimally invasive options include

  • Catheter Ablation - This treatment does not require open-heart surgery. It is performed using small incisions and does not involve opening the chest cavity. Compared to other treatments for heart rhythm disorders, such as long-term medication or traditional surgery, catheter ablation can offer a more targeted and potentially curative approach. It may result in shorter recovery times and fewer complications.
  • Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) - (TAVR) is a procedure used to treat aortic valve stenosis. TAVR is considered minimally invasive because it does not require traditional open-heart surgery. Instead, the procedure is performed by inserting a catheter (a thin, flexible tube) through a small incision in the groin or chest and guiding it to the heart. The new artificial valve is then positioned inside the diseased valve and expanded, pushing the old valve leaflets aside. This allows the new valve to take over the function of the old valve, restoring normal blood flow.

 

What are the Risks with Heart Disease Treatment?

 

Heart disease treatment options come with varying risks. Medications can cause side effects and interact with other drugs. Lifestyle changes, while beneficial, can be challenging to maintain and may not always lead to desired outcomes. Surgical procedures carry risks such as infection, bleeding, and damage to tissues, along with anesthesia-related risks. Implantable devices can malfunction or lead to complications. Minimally invasive procedures, while less risky than surgery, can still result in vascular complications or stroke. Despite these risks, the benefits of treatment often outweigh the potential complications, but patients should discuss these risks with their healthcare providers.

 

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