The Beat on Heart Care

Maintaining a healthy heart is the key to keeping the rest of your body at its peak performance.

Your heart is the central muscle of your cardiovascular (circulatory) system — by pumping blood through your body, your heart moves oxygen, nutrients, and hormones around your system to keep you alive, healthy, and full of energy.

Routine heart care, including regular check-ups for heart disease, can help you get ahead of any cardiovascular issues that may present themselves.

What Is Heart Disease?

The term "heart disease" can be used to refer to a number of different cardiovascular conditions which affect the performance of the heart.

In the United States, the most common form of heart disease is called coronary artery disease. This condition decreases the flow of blood to the heart and can lead to a heart attack, the most commonly known symptom of heart disease.

Heart disease often goes unnoticed until a person experiences a symptom as serious as a heart attack, which is why it's important to recognize what some of the other symptoms of heart disease are and seek care if you experience any of them.

Common heart disease symptoms include:

Heart attack: chest pain, upper back and neck pain, nausea, heartburn, indigestion, vomiting, dizziness, and shortness of breath.
Heart failure: shortness of breath, fatigue, and swelling and fluid buildup in the legs, ankles, feet, and belly.
Arrhythmia: chest palpitations, or a fluttering feeling in the heart area (caused by an irregular heart beat).

These symptoms can be chronic, meaning ongoing, or they can be acute, meaning they start all of a sudden.

If you ever experience any of these symptoms, it's important to get to a doctor as soon as possible to get checked for heart disease and, if necessary, begin an appropriate treatment plan to manage your condition.

What causes heart disease?

The biggest risk factors for heart disease are high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, obesity, eating an unhealthy diet, and a lack of physical activity.

Addressing these problems and habits can go a long way toward preventing heart failure and other conditions.

If any of these risk factors apply to you, partnering with heart care specialists and staying on top of your cardiovascular health is even more important.

Otherwise, you're more prone to developing a significant heart condition that could lead to something as serious as a heart attack.

The bottom line is that the sooner any cardiovascular problems are addressed, the easier it will be for you to manage them and lead a healthy life.

Arnot's Heart Care Team

The heart and vascular care team at Arnot Health has access to state-of-the-art facilities and technology. Our team members provide compassionate, personalized care and individualized treatment plans for each and every one of our patients.

Our heart care team consists of:

Cardiologists: doctors specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular defects and diseases.
Electrophysiologists: cardiologists specialized in treating the heart's electrical system, which controls your heart's rhythm.
Advanced health practitioners: healthcare professionals with advanced capabilities and knowledge in different areas.

In addition to the specialists listed above, patients at Arnot Health can count on a full team of nurses, technicians, therapists, dieticians, radiologists, anesthesiologists, and surgeons.

Whatever your unique needs are, we have the staff and resources to help you and your heart get better.

Heart Disease Treatment and Diagnosis

The treatment and diagnosis of heart disease is the first step in the right direction. With a timely diagnosis and the right heart treatment plan, many cases of heart failure disease can be stabilized and managed, allowing you to continue living a healthy, happy life.

How is heart disease diagnosed?

There are many different tests that can be used to diagnose heart disease, including blood tests, X-rays, electrocardiograms, Holter monitoring, echocardiogram, exercise tests and stress tests, cardiac catheterization, and CT and MRI scans.

How is heart disease treated?

Each heart care treatment plan depends on the cause, type, and severity of the heart disease.

No matter what, healthy lifestyle changes, such as eating a good diet, getting regular exercise, improving sleep habits, and quitting smoking are always an important part of treating heart conditions.

Different types of medications can also be used to treat symptoms of heart disease and help prevent further complications.

In more serious cases, patients may require some type of cardiovascular surgery to treat their conditions.

Our heart care center is equipped with:

Urgent heart attack care facilities
The only cardiac catheterization lab in the region
A cutting-edge electrophysiology lab
The region's only pediatric cardiologist
A full range of diagnostic tools

Heart Failure Disease Management

Heart failure disease management can feel like an uphill battle. However, we're here to help you fight the symptoms and improve your lifestyle, one step at a time.

Our Heart and Vascular Institute's heart failure management program is an outpatient treatment program in which patients receive one-on-one heart care from certified nurses and healthcare professionals trained in managing their conditions, in coordination with a dedicated cardiologist.

Heart and Vascular Institute's heart failure management program benefits:

Optimization of recommended medications
Ongoing assessment of patients' heart conditions
Consistent tailoring of heart care treatment plans
Decreased need for hospitalization and ER care
Assistance and support in making and following lifestyle changes
Personalized advice about how to improve and maintain quality of life

Arnot Health Is the Best for Your Heart

Partnering with Arnot Health is the best first step you can take when it comes to improving and maintaining your heart's health.

Our compassionate heart care team is dedicated to helping you treat symptoms of heart failure disease and other cardiovascular conditions.

We'll work hand-in-hand with you to develop the right treatment plan and help you make healthy lifestyle changes that will benefit both you and your heart.