At JFK Memorial Hospital, we’re committed to helping you and your family live longer, healthier lives. Heart disease is the number one killer in the United States, accounting for more than half a million deaths per year. Early detection and screening for cardiac risk factors combined with prompt, sophisticated treatment may make a life-saving difference. Our comprehensive cardiac and vascular services include some of the most advanced diagnostics and intervention treatments available.

Strokes and heart attacks don’t usually announce themselves with obvious symptoms. In fact, they’re often preceded by ‘silent stalkers’ – because symptoms are seldom noticeable. In fact, half the deaths in the United States are caused by a "vascular accident", and vascular screenings are one of the best ways to protect yourself against vascular disease.

Due to a variety of factors such as high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol levels, diabetes, a history of smoking, and hereditary factors, fatty deposits or plaque may gradually build up within arteries. This process is known as atherosclerosis and can affect any artery in the body. When atherosclerosis significantly affects the coronary arteries, the arteries to the heart muscle, a heart attack can result.

• Family history of heart attack and/or heart disease
• Diagnosis of high blood pressure (hypertension)
• High blood cholesterol levels
• Irregular heartbeat
• Diabetes
• Stress
• Obesity
• Physical inactivity
• Prior heart attack or stroke

Although certain factors are unchangeable — increasing age, gender, heredity — others can be controlled to reduce your risk or slow the progress of heart disease.

Diagnostic screenings and medical check-ups may help to determine if you have, or at risk for, a number of medical conditions that may cause a stroke or heart attack. Once a diagnosis is made, follow your physician’s advice. Methods of reducing risk include the following:

• Control your blood pressure
• Lower your blood cholesterol level
• Stop smoking, or don’t start
• Limit alcohol consumption
• Control your weight
• Exercise
• Eat foods that are low in fat and cholesterol
• Decrease sodium in your diet

Understanding your risk of heart disease and the warning signs of a heart attack may help save your life. That’s why JFK Memorial Hospital offers health fairs, education seminars and other health and wellness events. For a free physician referral to a Cardiologist on staff at JFK, please call (800) 343-4535.

• Electrocardiography (EKG)
• Holter monitoring (ambulatory electrocardiogram)
• Echocardiography
• Exercise stress testing
• Stress echocardiography
• Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE)
• Nuclear cardiology, including wall motion studies, treadmill testing and stress testing
• Angiography
• Radiologic intervention procedures

Our Cardiac and Vascular Services Team

Cardiology and vascular medicine are complex services, requiring an experienced multi-disciplinary team of medical professionals working together to diagnose and treat the symptoms of cardiac and vascular disease. Our team includes the following clinical specialists:

• Cardiologists
• Interventional radiologists
• Cardiovascular technicians
• Cardiac nurses

Each patient referred to the Cardiac and Vascular Services Department at JFK Memorial Hospital is treated as an individual with specific, special needs. We take time to obtain a comprehensive problem-focused medical history from each patient, explain the recommended procedure, and help the patient to relax by carefully describing the test as it is being performed.

The Cardiac and Vascular Services Clinical team is here to serve both you and your primary care physician, acting as partners in your personal health care. One of our key objectives is to relay diagnostic results quickly to primary care physicians.

When you or a loved one suffers a heart attack, it is important to receive medical treatment at a facility staffed by professionals trained in first-hour heart care, with the availability of advanced interventional cardiac services. In the event of a cardiac emergency, JFK Memorial Hospital’s Emergency Services staff and interventional cardiology team work together to provide critical first-hour treatment, and emergency Balloon Angioplasty and Coronary Stent placement procedures.