Heart - Carolinas Healthcare


		Center for Cardiovascular Health

		Cardiac Rehabilitation

		Chest Pain

		da Vinci Surgical Robot

		Diagnostic & Interventional Heart Procedures

		First Heart Transplants

		Heart Failure Program

		Pediatric Cardiac Cath Lab

		Heart of A Woman

HEART

Each year, cardiovascular disease claims nearly one million Americans - more than cancer, trauma, pneumonia, influenza and AIDS combined. This is why Carolinas HealthCare System has brought together the medical expertise, equipment and facilities to provide excellence in clinical care, research and education. Supported by an accomplished team of nurses and technologists, our cardiac, thoracic and vascular surgeons and cardiologists provide the highest level of care for the heart, lungs and blood vessels. We also offer The Carolinas Heart Institute at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, N.C., which is a major heart transplant and cardiac care center in the Southeast region. Carolinas Heart Institute now offers the latest advancement in minimally invasive surgery – robotic-assisted surgery using the daVinci Robot. Robotic-assisted surgery complements the ongoing minimally invasive cardiac, thoracic, and vascular surgery program at Carolinas Heart Institute. The daVinci Robot is a new surgical tool that significantly reduces the size of incisions to perform heart surgery meaning shorter, less painful post-operative recovery time for our patients.

Anson Community Hospital
In Wadesboro, the Cardiopulmonary Services Department at Anson Community Hospital provides diagnostic and treatment modalities including echocardiograms, stress tests and Holter monitoring.

For more information, call 704-695-3401.

Carolinas Medical Center
The Carolinas Heart Institute at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte is one of the few specialty heart centers in the country that provides cardiac care for patients of all ages. It provides a wide range of cardiac and vascular care, including catheterization procedures, open-heart surgeries, interventions on lung and peripheral vessels, heart transplants, cardiothoracic and pulmonary surgery, peripheral vascular surgery, pacemaker implantation, ablation therapy, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation therapy. Carolinas Heart Institute now offers the latest advancement in minimally invasive surgery – robotic-assisted surgery using the daVinci Robot. Robotic-assisted surgery complements the ongoing minimally invasive cardiac, thoracic, and vascular surgery program at Carolinas Heart Institute. The daVinci Robot is a new surgical tool that significantly reduces the size of incisions to perform heart surgery meaning shorter, less painful post-operative recovery time for our patients.The Carolinas Heart Institute is also home for the Heart Failure Program and has the only pediatric interventional cardiac cath program in the region. The Carolinas Heart Institute's physicians are cardiologists and cardiovascular and thoracic surgeons from The Sanger Clinic.

Carolinas Medical Center's Carolinas Heart Institute has developed a program uniquely designed to educate and inform women about heart health. The program, Heart Of A Woman, places women in contact with individuals and resources who provide the most up-to-date information on heart disease prevention and healthy lifestyles. Through one-on-one discussions, events, support groups, literature and many other services women are exposed to medical knowledge that could make a tremendous impact on the rest of their lives. Learn more...

For more information, call 1-800-55-HEART.

Our Physician Practices
Here at Carolinas HealthCare System we know finding a personal physician is one of the most important decisions you will make in your lifetime. With more than 600 board certified physicians, 100 mid-level healthcare providers, and access to the premier healthcare system in the region; we are here to assist you in finding a physician of your choice in a location that is convenient for you and your family.

Roper St. Francis Healthcare
Part of Roper St. Francis Healthcare in South Carolina, Roper Heart Emergency Network sites provide specialized "fast track" heart emergency care. Sites include the emergency departments at Roper Hospital in downtown Charleston, Roper Berkeley Day Hospital in Moncks Corner, Roper Emergency Services Northwoods, Colleton Regional Medical Center in Walterboro and Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital in West Ashley. Roper Heart Center at Roper Hospital provides the latest advancements in heart care, including diagnostic testing (electrocardiography, Holter monitoring, stress testing, echocardiography and stress echocardiography), cardiothoracic surgery, diagnostic heart catheterizations, and therapeutic interventions such as angioplasty and electrophysiology services. Additional services include Early Heart Attack Care Program, LifeLink Mobile Intensive Care Unit and Roper's Chest Pain Observation Unit. The physicians include cardiologists from Coastal Cardiology and Lowcountry Cardiology, William Grossman, M.D., Gregory Miller, M.D., Wills Geils, M.D., Sarbabi Masindent, M.D., George Douglass, M.D., James Glenn, M.D.; electrophysiologists William Stites, M.D., and Bret Baker, M.D.; and Cardiovascular and thoracic surgeons from Charleston Thoracic And Cardiovascular Surgery.

For more information, call 843-402-2273.

Cleveland Regional Medical Center
Located in Shelby, N.C., Cleveland Regional Heart Center at Cleveland Regional Medical Center (CRMC) is part of The Carolinas Heart Institute at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, N.C. As part of one of the most respected cardiac programs in the Southeast, Cleveland Regional Heart Center provides Shelby patients with access to the program's physician groups and treatment protocols. It also provides most of the advanced cardiac procedures available and comprehensive diagnostic, treatment and support services close to home. For patients requiring heart surgery, MedCenter Air helicopter transport is readily available from CRMC's Emergency Department. CRMC's certified Cardiac Rehab Program provides a comprehensive approach to the rehabilitation of those who have experienced heart disease.

For more information, call 704-487-3877.

Grace Hospital
In Morganton, Grace Hospital provides diagnostic cardiac services such as EKG, MRI, CT scanning, cardiac catheterization, sleep studies, stress testing and ultrasound. It also shares a portable cath lab and new ultrasound imaging equipment with Valdese Hospital. Both facilities are part of Blue Ridge HealthCare System. Grace Hospital's physicians include cardiologist Roger Seagle, M.D., and cardiologists from Western Piedmont Heart Centers, including Ryan Miller, M.D.

For more information, call 828-580-5000.

Kings Mountain Hospital
Kings Mountain Hospital offers many diagnostic cardiac services, including echocardiograms and stress tests. The Radiology Department offers diagnostic x-rays, ultrasounds, nuclear medicine and CT scans. This facility's physicians include cardiologists from The Sanger Clinic and Mid Carolina Cardiology.

For more information, call 704-739-3601.

Carolinas Medical Center-Mercy
The Heart Center at Carolinas Medical Center-Mercy in Charlotte has a tradition of providing specialized care and advanced technology for the detection and treatment of heart diseases, cardiac emergencies and cardiac surgical needs. This center provides the following diagnostics and treatments: echocardio-graphy, stress testing, exercise echocardiogram, nuclear scanning, catheterization, coronary angioplasty, atherectomies, pacemaker implants, coronary artery bypass, mitral and aortic valve replacements, and implantation of automatic cardiac defibrillators. The center's physicians include cardiologists from Charlotte Cardiology Associates, plus cardiovascular and thoracic surgeons from Charlotte Cardiothoracic Surgical Associates.

For more information, call 704-304-5913.

Carolinas Medical Center-Pineville
The Cardiopulmonary Services at Carolinas Medical Center-Pineville in Pineville offer cardiac diagnostics such as echocardiograms (stress and pharmacological), transesophageal echocardiograms, ECG, signal average ECG, Holter monitoring, stress testing (nuclear medicine, stress and pharmacological) and sleep studies. Patients may receive diagnostic caths per their physicians' request. This facility's physicians include cardiologists from Charlotte Cardiology Associates, Carolina Cardiology and The Sanger Clinic.

For more information, call 704-543-2032.

Carolinas Medical Center-Union
At The Cardiovascular Center, Carolinas Medical Center-Union (CMC-Union) offers convenient care for heart disease to patients living in Monroe and surrounding counties. In addition to providing a full range of diagnostic care, cardiologists also perform heart catheterizations on an outpatient basis at this location. CMC-Union's physicians include cardiologists from Charlotte Cardiology Associates and The Sanger Clinic. CMC-Union broke ground in October 2000 for a new Diagnostic and Treatment Pavilion which will provide additional room for cardiac testing and other diagnostic services.

For more information, call 704-283-3172.

Carolinas Medical Center-University Hospital
Carolinas Medical Center-University currently offers diagnostic cardiac services including stress testing, nuclear stress testing and echocardiography. In May 2001, this facility will begin construction on a new 6,200-square-foot addition which will include a new catheterization lab and fixed MRI (to replace the mobile MRI trailer which currently visits the hospital four days a week). "This new service will help relieve the high demand at Carolinas Medical Center for diagnostic caths and be more convenient for patients in the growing market in the University area and North Mecklenburg County," says Spencer Lily, administrator, Carolinas Medical Center-University.

For more information, call 704-863-6000.

Valdese Hospital
Valdese Hospital (VH), a part of Blue Ridge HealthCare System in Valdese, provides a variety of cardiology services, including cardiac catheterization, nuclear cardiology with attenuation correction, transesophageal echocardiography, diagnostic ultrasound testing and cardiopulmonary rehabilitation. In December 2000, VH added a new ultrasound imaging system that specializes in cardiac and vascular imaging. VH's physicians include cardiologist Carl Edwards, M.D., and cardiologists from Piedmont Cardiology Associates, including Philip Paspa, M.D., Richard Schultz, M.D., Vincent Petrone, M.D. and Ghassan Alkoutami, M.D.

For more information, call 828-879-7756.




	QUICK FACTS


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			CMC-Home Care provides healthcare services to patients in their homes 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information, click here.

			Coronary heart disease is the single largest cause of death for American females.

			42% of women who have heart attacks die within a year compared with 24% of men.

			About 32,000 babies are born each year with congenital heart defects.

			Two of every five smoking-related deaths are from cardiovascular disease.

			Two-thirds of people with diabetes mellitus die of some form of heart or blood vessel disease.

			More than one in five women have some form of cardiovascular disease.

			The U.S. southeastern region has a greater prevalence of high blood pressure and higher death rates from stroke than any other U.S. region.

			104.4 million American adults are overweight.

			42.5 million American adults are obese.

	Did you know?

			At rest, the heart pumps about 70 mL (2.4 ounces) of blood with each beat. During strenuous exercise, the heart can pump six to eight times that amount.

			Blood can surge out of the heart at a speed of about 16 inches per second.

			At birth the heart beat is between 130 and 150 beats per minute.


			At 1 year of age, it is down to about 120.

			By 6 years of age it is down to about 100 beats per minute.

			At 10 years it is down to about 90 beats per minute.

			The average adult heart beat is 72 beats per minute.

			Women's hearts usually beat faster than men's.

			Athletes have slower than average heartbeats because their hearts have been conditioned by exercise and can pump more blood with each beat.

			If all your blood vessels were joined end to end, they would make a tube 60,000 miles long.

			During a fever, more blood is sent to the skin, helping your body to reduce its temperature.

			You can only feel a pulse in an artery, not in a vein. You can feel your pulse in places where the artery passes close to the body surface, such as your wrist, temples and throat.

			It takes about two minutes for blood to make the full sweep from the heart to the farthest part of the body and back.

			An adult body contains about five quarts of blood.

	Symptoms of Heart Attack:

			Uncomfortable pressure, squeezing or pain in the center of the chest lasting more than two minutes.

			Pain spreading from the chest down the left arm or into the left side of the neck.

			Heavy sweating, shortness of breath and fatigue, sometimes accompanied by fainting, lightheadedness or nausea.

	You should also be alert if the following occur individually or together with or without chest pain:

			Indigestion. Bloated or full feeling, sometimes accompanied by a dull ache, a burning sensation or a feeling of nausea. Though sometimes difficult to distinguish from normal digestion, be careful. Feelings of indigestion may indicate a particular form of a heart attack occurring on the back wall of the heart because of blockage in the right coronary artery.

			Pain in the lower jaw.

			Pain in the arm or shoulder. It may be difficult to pinpoint a place where the pain is localized.

			Shortness of breath. Gulping for breath after only routine exertion, which does not subside with rest and resumes with minor activity.

			Tired feeling. Like fatigue, the feeling sweeps over the entire body.

			An "I just don't feel right" feeling.



	Recent health news about heart disease.



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