Cardiology Services
Our cardiology specialists diagnose and offer treatments for diseases and abnormalities of the heart. This is offered at SCMH for the convenience of our community.
Our Services Include:
- Cardiac Function Testing – Cardiac Stress testing, both with and without nuclear perfusion imaging, is available. Ambulatory heart rhythm and event monitoring are available to outpatients when the need arises.
- Cardiac Rehabilitation – Cardiac Rehabilitation involves monitored exercise programs designed to strengthen and add endurance. This is for patients who have undergone heart surgery, have suffered a heart attack, or suffer from congestive heart failure.
Cardiac Rehabilitation
- Phase I – The Inpatient Phase: This phase takes place in the hospital following heart surgery, a heart attack, or other cardiology problem. It begins when your condition has become stable. Movement is encouraged and will begin as soon as possible. Education about your heart condition and how to manage provides you with the tools to improve.
- Phase II – This begins after the discharge from another hospital. Outpatient cardiac rehab services requires a referral. Phase II is an important step in resuming a full and active lifestyle. The amount of time depends on your insurance. It is typically 18 or 36 sessions. Phase II offers you and your family with education and support concerning cardiovascular disease, risk factor modifications, nutrition, stress management, smoking cessation, and emotional support. The goal is to build strength and stamina. Phase II also includes personalized, progressive exercise regimen. This helps gradually increase the duration and intensity of exercise. Close supervision by cardiac rehabilitation nurses with the aid of cardiac monitoring allows you to have peace of mind when returning to this more intensive movement. Phase II has specific qualification guidelines into the program.
- Phase III – Phase III continues as long as you choose to attend on a regular basis. Education programs continue and broaden. You are usually not monitored as closely as Phase II, however, monitoring is available as necessary through the use of telemetry monitoring. Endurance exercise training and behavior changes are emphasized.
- Cardiac rehab also performs outpatient cardiac stress testing. These stress tests can be either standard treadmill stress tests or Nuclear stress tests. 24-48hr cardiac holter monitors or 7-30 day cardiac event monitors and elective synchronized cardioversions aid this process. We also schedule patients for home sleep apnea monitoring set up. These patients come in to get set up for the Alice Night One home sleep apnea device with instructions to complete the study at home during sleep.
