Regional Heart & Vascular Institute

Regional hospital.  World-class heart care.

At Bloomington Hospital’s Regional Heart & Vascular Institute, we are prepared with innovative and advanced technology and a staff of expert physicians and medical professionals to care for you.  

From diagnosing the cause of chest pain, to cardiac surgery, to managing your condition and helping you get back on your feet with cardiopulmonary rehab, the Regional Heart & Vascular Institute offers one of the most comprehensive heart and vascular programs in south central Indiana.

We offer open-heart surgery, angioplasty, stent placement, and cardiac catheterization as well as several other state-of-the-art services.

Diagnosing Cardiovascular Disease

For a person having chest pain, rapid response is critical to determine the cause.  Treatment begins the minute paramedics arrive at the scene or the patient enters Bloomington Hospital’s Emergency Department.

With the latest innovative technologies, our staff of physicians and medical professionals works to quickly and accurately diagnose your heart condition.  At the Regional Heart & Vascular Institute, you have access to many advanced diagnostic tests and equipment, including:

64-slice CT scanner:  One of the first in Indiana, this newest technology is able to capture 64 pictures of your heart each second.  With these crystal clear images, physicians are able to see aspects of the cardiovascular system that before could only be seen through invasive tests.

Cardiac catheterization: Cardiac catheterizations are performed in one of Bloomington Hospital’s three state-of-the-art cardiac catheterization laboratories (cath lab) to determine the extent of any blockages in your coronary arteries.  If a blockage is found and intervention is necessary, our expert cardiologists can perform several non-surgical procedures right in the cath lab.

Echocardiogram (ECHO): Using high frequency sound waves, the ECHO evaluates the mechanical function of your heart and can detect any valvular abnormalities or abnormalities caused by disease, infection or trauma.

Electrocardiogram (EKG): An EKG, also known as a 12-lead EKG, records the electrical activity of your heart. This exam may be performed by paramedics in the field and relayed back to the emergency room physician, enabling life-saving techniques to be initiated. An EKG can also be performed on inpatients and outpatients to identify electrical conduction disturbances or damage to the heart and evaluate the effects of cardiac medications.

Graded exercise test/Stress tests: A graded exercise test or stress test is performed to evaluate the heart's response to physical stress or exercise.  It may be administered in a number of ways with the physical exercise or by use of medications to simulate the effect of exercise. The stress test allows cardiologists to determine the presence and/or severity of heart disease in addition to the cause of chest or other cardiac pain.

Cardiovascular Surgery & Recovery

While the art and science of cardiovascular medicine is advancing to include many non-invasive procedures and treatments, sometimes cardiovascular surgery is necessary.  At the Regional Heart & Vascular Institute, 11 board-certified cardiologists and 13 board-certified cardiothoracic surgeons, as well as a team of nurses, technologists and other health professionals, care for patients and help them make an individualized plan for the treatment of their cardiovascular disease.

Bloomington Hospital’s cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons provide a full continuum of cardiovascular care through non-invasive procedures, such as angioplasty and stent placement; and open-heart surgeries, including coronary artery bypass procedures.

Patients recovering from cardiovascular surgery have a special dedicated unit within Bloomington Hospital – the Cardiovascular Recovery Unit (CVR).  Immediately following surgery, patients are closely monitored with advanced telemetry equipment.  As patients recover, portable monitors are available so they can move around on their own in preparation of leaving the hospital.

Education

One of the main goals of the Regional Heart & Vascular Institute is to provide education to our patients.  We know that many of the things happening to you and many of the words used may be new and confusing.  We strive to help you understand your condition and encourage you and your loved ones to ask questions if anything is ever unclear.

During your stay at Bloomington Hospital after cardiovascular surgery or experiencing a cardiovascular event, like a heart attack, you will be visited by a member of our HEARTEAM cardiopulmonary rehabilitation program.  In this visit, you will be presented with a binder of educational information called our Heart Owners Manual.

In the manual are many easy to read and understand explanations of tests and procedures, as well as information about what to expect after leaving the hospital and getting back to your normal routine.  Our HEARTEAM member will review the information in this binder with you and can provide education specific to your condition as well as answer any questions you may have.

While a medical expert can help you understand the technical aspects of your cardiovascular disease, it also helps to have someone who has been through the same experience.  The HEARTEAM volunteer program provides just this for any cardiovascular patient at Bloomington Hospital.  Caring, dedicated volunteers who have each been through cardiovascular surgery or a cardiac event can be paired with a new patient experiencing the same ailment.  The HEARTEAM volunteer can empathize with your anxieties and concerns, and is available to offer support and assistance regarding common reactions and non-medical questions you may have.

Bloomington Hospital honored with national award

 

VHA, a health care provider alliance of more than 2,400 not-for-profit hospitals nationwide, recently announced Bloomington Hospital as a recipient of the 2006 Leadership Award for Clinical Excellence for achieving higher than 90 percent compliance on each quality indicator related to heart attack in the third quarter of 2005. 
Overall, we averaged 98 percent compliance with all indicators.

“This is a great honor.  Our teams work diligently to ensure our patients receive the highest quality care available.  This award recognizes their work at a national level,” says LeAnne Horn, director of Quality Improvement and the hospital’s patient safety officer.

According to VHA, “the VHA Leadership Awards recognize VHA member organizations that have differentiated themselves by demonstrating extraordinary levels of performance in clinical excellence…”

Representatives from the hospital traveled to St. Louis in May to attend the national VHA Leadership Conference during which Bloomington Hospital was recognized as a winner of the Leadership Award.

“We want to extend congratulations to all of our staff who work each day to care for heart attack patients.  We are proud to have you on our team and because of you, we are able to offer our south central Indiana community premier cardiac care,” says Horn.