Valley Health
heart services are based on five specific areas of care:
Prevention
Prevention is the best first step in caring for your heart. By
avoiding unhealthy behaviors and learning the risk factors for
heart attack, you can help yourself avoid heart problems
altogether.
Risk factors are:
- smoking
- lack of
exercise
- foods high in
fat and/or cholesterol
- uncontrolled
stress
- high blood
pressure (hypertension)
Valley Health
System provides a wide range of health and wellness programs
designed to address the risk factors for heart attack.
Education
Education is key to avoiding initial or subsequent heart problems.
Proper education in diet, exercise and the anatomy of your
cardiovascular system can help you understand how the heart works,
and what is important to know to keep it working properly. Nurses
working with heart patients spend a great deal of time not only
teaching patients, but family members as well.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis is a critical step in treating heart disease. Diagnostic
services from Valley Health System include Stress Testing, Cardiac
(Holter) Monitors, Cardiac Catheterization and other invasive
procedures, Thallium Scans, MUGA Scans.
Treatment
Once a cardiologist makes a diagnosis, the heart problem is
treated medically or surgically. Some heart problems can be
regulated with a change in lifestyle and/or medication. However,
some must be treated surgically. Angioplasty (graphic) is used to
clear arteries of plaque, a buildup in the walls of the artery
which is caused by high levels of cholesterol in the blood stream.
A stent may also be inserted during angioplasty to help hold
weakened artery walls open (graphic). Serious heart problems
including arteries too clogged to treat with angioplasty, or
defective heart valves, are treated with heart surgery. (graphic)
In 1996, over 800 heart surgeries were performed at Winchester
Medical Center by cardiovascular surgeons.
Rehabilitation
Cardiopulmonary rehabilitation is an important part of a heart
patient’s return to wellness (graphic). These services are
performed at Winchester Medical Center and at Warren Memorial
Hospital, and help patients regain their muscle tone and stamina
as part of the full recovery process. Cardiovascular
rehabilitation is medically supervised by a cardiologist and is
overseen by exercise physiologists and nurses.
