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Cardiac Care - Overview Print Page



The Concord Hospital Center for Cardiac Care offers access to leading-edge medical and surgical equipment to support specialty clinical care, including intervention and cardiothoracic surgery. The Center for Cardiac Care includes a dedicated cardiac operating suite, two cardiac catheterization labs with digital imaging technology, a telemetry and cardiac intensive care and progressive care units, comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation facilities, the Cardiovascular Preventive Clinic and the Heart and Vascular Wellness Program.

Procedures Performed or Problems Diagnosed and Treated:

  • Biventricular pacemakers for heart failure
  • Diagnostic cardiac catheterization
  • Cardiac nuclear medicine
  • Cardiac ultrasound (echocardiography)
  • Cardiovascular disease risk screening (including coronary calcium scoring)
  • Coronary angioplasty and interventional coronary procedures (including primary angioplasty)
  • Electrocardiology and stress testing
  • Electrophysiology studies and internal cardiac defibrillators
  • Echocardiology
  • Holter monitoring
  • Intracoronary ultrasound
  • Pacemaker insertion
  • Pediatric cardiology
  • Transesophogeal echocardiology
  • Coronary artery bypass, CABG (with internal mammary artery, saphenous vein or alternative conduits)
  • Off-pump (OPCAB) and beating heart CABG
  • Correction of congenital heart defects in adults
  • Heart valve replacement and repair (using mechanical valves, tissue valves or annuloplasty rings or bands)
  • Intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography
  • Minimally invasive cardiac surgery
  • Platelet therapy
  • Thoracic aortic surgery

Why Choose Concord Hospital?

Choosing cardiac care at Concord Hospital means choosing experience, reputation, innovation, patient satisfaction and comprehensive care. The Center for Cardiac Care defines quality.

Experience

An experienced clinical staff that includes one cardiothoracic surgeon, 13 cardiologists, 50 dedicated cardiac nurses and 11 cardiac specialty providers is skilled in responding to cardiac emergencies 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

At the Center for Cardiac Care, physicians and healthcare professionals are highly trained in diagnostic and interventional cardiology, electrophysiology, cardiothoracic surgery and critical care nursing to deliver the highest quality care in a personal setting. Specialists work together to treat complex conditions and ensure patients receive comprehensive treatment.

Reputation

A good measure of quality is past success and recognition. Concord Hospital exceeds professional standards of quality and has been nationally recognized for efforts to improve patient safety.

Innovation

Concord Hospital uses drug-eluting, or coated, stents to clear blocked arteries. Developed to address the problem of reblockage, which can occur in as many as 30 percent of patients who receive a bare metal stent, drug-coated stents prevent scar tissue build-up in the blood vessel by slowly releasing medication into the vessel lining.

Platelet therapy, thought to be beneficial to the healing process after surgery, is available at Concord Hospital. Traditionally, cells directed by proteins called growth factors go to the site of an injury to help repair the wound. Platelets produce and carry growth factors in the blood stream and are also involved in clotting. Normally, it takes between five and 10 days for platelets carrying growth factors to arrive at the site of an incision. By applying a patient's own platelets directly to the incision immediately after surgery, doctors hope to speed up the recovery process.

Satisfaction

Concord Hospital surveys patients and consistently scores high in areas like teamwork, coordination, courtesy, understanding and sensitivity, responsiveness, confidence in clinical staff and overall satisfaction. Patient satisfaction scores for cardiac catheterization patients rank 95 percent, well above regional and national averages.

Comprehensive Care

From education and prevention to diagnostics, treatment and rehabilitation, the Center for Cardiac Care provides comprehensive care to address all aspects of heart health. Prevention and education are important to heart health. Avoiding heart problems often means recognizing risk factors and modifying lifestyle and behavior to minimize those risks. In addition, just as important is appropriate follow-up care and rehabilitation following a cardiac intervention or surgery. Cardiac rehabilitation programs offer exercise and personal consultations with rehabilitation and nutrition specialists to help patients learn to live heart healthy.

Cardiac Calcium Scoring

Concord Hospital offers cardiac calcium scoring through the hospital’s radiology department and the Concord Imaging Center. Cardiac calcium scoring is a safe, painless, noninvasive and accurate test to determine coronary artery content. High calcium content could indicate coronary artery disease and increased risk for heart disease. Patients should discuss with their primary care physician whether this test is appropriate for them. A physician referral is required for this exam. Physicians should call the radiology department at 230-7274 or Concord Imaging Center at 225-0425 to schedule appointments.

Hospital Contact

Ph: (603) 227-7122
(877) 644-3278 or (877) NH-HEART

Where Can I Find Out More?

American Heart Association
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute