Often, we only think about going to the doctor when we’re sick. However, a visit with a cardiologist may prevent and allow a professional to treat several cardiovascular diseases and heart conditions.
Here are some reasons to see a cardiologist sooner:
- Your primary care doctor recommends you see a cardiologist.
- You’re experiencing heart pain or symptoms.
- You have a family history of heart problems.
- You have high total cholesterol or high blood pressure.
- You’ve experienced preeclampsia during pregnancy.
- You’re over the age of 40 and starting a new exercise program.
Altru has a team of experts who specialize in heart disease treatment and care.
Learn more about each of our cardiologists.
Diagnostic Services
- Catheterization labs. Altru boasts three state-of-the-art cardiac catheterization/electrophysiology labs, which provide both outpatient and inpatient heart catherization and arrhythmia procedures. These specialized rooms contain diagnostic imaging equipment used to visualize the arteries and chambers of the heart. The highly skilled professionals in the labs provide:
- Education
- Diagnostic examinations
- Treatment
- Intervention
- Echocardiography. Echocardiography is commonly used in the diagnosis and management of heart disease. It can provide a wealth of information, including the size and shape of the heart, pumping capacity and the location and extent of any tissue damage. Types of echocardiograms include:
- Transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE). This type of echocardiogram is the most common. During this test, a transducer is placed on the chest and upper abdomen. The device translates electrical impulses into a moving picture of the heart valves.
- Stress echocardiogram. During this test, patches called electrodes are placed on the upper and lower body to record the heart’s activity. This test shows the heart’s ability to pump blood and can detect narrowed coronary arteries. Your physician may use it to see if the heart is receiving enough blood flow and oxygen during activity.
- Transesophageal echocardiogram. During this test, a cardiologist will guide a probe attached to an ultrasound transducer down the throat to visualize your heart. The test generates accurate pictures of the heart and helps your provider look for signs of infections or blood clots.
Treatments
- Electrophysiology. Altru’s Cardiology offers an advanced electrophysiology outpatient clinic. Heart ablation—a process to destroy areas of tissue within the heart that are causing irregular or rapid heartbeat—procedures are now available to treat common arrhythmias, such as:
- Supraventricular tachycardia. A disorder that causes an abnormal heartbeat
- Atrial flutter. A type of heart rhythm disorder in which the upper heart chambers beat too fast
- Atrial fibrillation. A condition that causes the heart to have both an irregular and rapid heartbeat. Atrial fibrillation can increase stroke risk if left untreated.
- Cardiothoracic surgery. Altru’s cardiothoracic providers specialize in the surgical treatment of diseases affecting organs inside the chest cavity. While cardiac and thoracic surgeries are separate procedures, they are frequently grouped together as one surgical specialty, encompassing surgery of the heart, great vessels and nearby organs.
Management
CardioMEMS. Altru providers offer the CardioMEMS™ HF System to manage heart failure. During a minimally invasive procedure, this miniaturized, wireless monitoring sensor is implanted into the pulmonary artery (PA). Patients can use the system to transmit PA pressure data to their healthcare providers from their home. This proactive, personalized management helps reduce the chance of hospitalization.
When used by clinicians to manage heart failure, CardioMEMS is:
- Safe and reliable
- Clinically proven to reduce heart failure admission
- Proactive and personalized
To learn more about CardioMEMS at Altru, call 701.780.6236.
Why Choose Altru for Heart Care
Altru strives to always be improving treatments and heart care management for patients. For example, every minute counts to lower a heart attack patient’s risk of death and serious heart damage. Through improvements on the STEMI process, Altru has reduced the average time of opening a blocked cardiac artery from 60.5 minutes to 47 minutes. Patients can be confident they will receive the highest level of care at Altru. Altru’s Cardiology has been recognized by Healthgrades for excellent care.
Request an appointment through MyChart. For more information, call 701.780.6236.
