Overview
One of our Centers of Excellence, the Heart Center is dedicated to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of heart disease and related health issues. We combine surgical options and critical care with ongoing education and rehabilitation to provide a full continuum of care for our community.
Services
Cardiac Catheterization Lab
Cardiologists perform vital procedures in our state-of-the-art lab, such as implanting pacemakers to speed up slow heart rates or ICD’s (Implanted Cardiac Defibrillators) that help an irregular heart beating too fast or too slow. The physicians also use catheterization procedures to perform balloon angioplasties and EP (electrophysiology), which allows visualization and removal of damaged electrical circuits of the heart.
Education & Prevention
To help prevent heart disease and manage its early warning signs, we offer a wide variety of interactive resources through several different programs and locations. These resources include the following:
Regular cholesterol and blood pressure screenings
Fitness training for groups and individuals – including use of our Fitness Plus facility
Nutrition classes and cooking demonstrations
Weight management programs
We also sponsor community service programs that promote heart health and participate in national studies aimed at improving the care of patients who have had heart attacks.
Care for Heart Rhythm Conditions
These include ablation therapy; Implantable Cardiac Defibrillation (ICD) for fast rhythms; Bi-Ventricular (BIV) pacing for heart failure; and Implantable Loop Recorder (ILR) to detect life-threatening rhythms; and Pacemaker insertion for slow heart rhythms.
Critical Care Units
Provide attentive, around-the-clock monitoring and treatment following pulmonary disease complications and/or and surgery.
Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation
Provides education and a closely-monitored exercise routine through our Fitness Plus Center for those diagnosed with pulmonary disease or recovering from cardiac surgery or other cardiac events.
Electrophysiology Lab Advances Cardiac Care
In September of 2009, the Federal Drug Administration released the Velocity 3D mapping system, and the Heart Center at Catawba Valley Medical Center was one of the first in the nation to embrace this exciting new technology.
The system enables CVMC to perform electrophysiology – the study of the electrical system of the heart – and to deal with slow, fast or irregular rhythms. Among the treatments now performed at CVMC are cardiac ablations with 3D mapping and implantation of pacemakers and cardiac defibrillators.
Two highly respected area electrophysiologists, Dr. Yoel Vivas of Piedmont Cardiology and Dr. Thomas Wiley of Hickory Cardiology, perform procedures in the new lab — an important addition to the diagnostic angiography services of Catawba Valley Medical Center’s Heart Center.
