Cardiac Services at Skyline Medical Center

More than 58 million Americans have one or more types of cardiovascular disease and many more are at risk for developing it. More than a million suffer a heart attack each year.  Another 300,000 will suffer cardiac arrest.  Other diseases – including strokes and peripheral vascular disease – impact thousands each year. The common enemy?  Clogged blood vessels.

Vascular disease is always a serious medical condition.  But when it impacts the heart or the brain, it can be, and often is, life-threatening.

That’s why Skyline Medical Center provides a full range of services to help people prevent, treat and recover from heart disease and stroke.  From screenings to diagnostic cardiac catheterization, from angioplasty to rehabilitation, Skyline’s services have earned a reputation for excellence.

Diagnosing heart disease is made easier when physicians are able to access the newest technology.  In middle Tennessee, the newest generation of nuclear imaging equipment was first available at Skyline.  The Philips ADAC-SKYLight, the industry's first gantry-free camera, represents a giant leap forward in the use of advanced robotics, providing unprecedented imaging flexibility and positioning accuracy, as well as greater comfort for patients.

Diagnostic Procedures

Diagnostic Cardiac Catheterization - Angiograms, or xrays of the inside of the vessels surrounding the heart, are performed in the Cardiac Catheterization or Cath Lab.  If blocked vessels are found, they can often be treated while in the lab.

Electrocardiography (EKGs) and Holter Monitoring studies - In- and outpatient services include routine and emergency electrocardiogram tracings and other monitoring devices.

Electrophysiology Studies – Rhythm disorders are diagnosed and treated in the Electrophysiology or EP Lab.

Nuclear medicine studies – A contrast agent is used to help physicians see inside vessels.

Treadmill testing

Treatment Services

Angioplasty - Angioplasty is a general term for minimally invasive procedures used to clear blocked blood vessels. The most common procedure, balloon angioplasty, involves a catheter with a balloon on the end. The catheter is threaded through a vein up to the clogged blood vessel, then inflated. This reshapes the inside of the artery to allow blood to flow more easily. To prevent these areas from eventually deflating, doctors often use stents, metal coils that spring open, to keep the artery from closing up.

Cardiologist Christopher Conley, MD, specializes in electrophysiology, a cardiac specialty focusing on the heart's electrical activity.  An EP study may be performed for these reasons: To diagnose the source of abnormally slow heart rhythms (bradycardias) To diagnose the source of abnormally fast heart rhythms (tachycardias) To provoke and diagnose heart arrhythmias (rhythm disorders) To reveal suspected arrhythmias To evaluate a person's risk for sudden death An EP study may be helpful in assessing symptoms including chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, dizziness/fainting, and response to anti-arrhythmic therapy.  Finally an EP study may be done to assess a patient's need for a pacemaker or implantable cardioverter defibrillator.

Arrhythmia treatment - The Electrophysiology Laboratory provides comprehensive management of cardiac arrhythmias, including pacemakers, implantable defibrillators, arrhythmia surgery, and other procedures.

Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory – Procedures performed in this lab include angioplasties, myocardial biopsies, valvuloplasties of the aortic and mitral valves, coronary atherectomies, laser angioplasties, rotablators and stent placements.

Chest Pain Center - Seconds count when there’s a cardiac emergency. Cardiac emergencies, including chest pain, heart failure, arrhythmias and heart attacks, require quick treatment. To make sure every second counts, Skyline was among the state’s first hospitals to earn national certification for its Chest Pain Center, located in the Emergency Department.

Inpatient Critical Care – Our 24-bed critical care unit is staffed by highly qualified and experienced staff.  Additionally, patients are care for by Intensivists, physicians who specialize in the care of critically ill patients.  Additionally, because Skyline is a state-of-the-art facility, every patient room is wired for telemetry so any patient can benefit from 24-hour cardiac monitoring, if needed.

Surgery – From vascular surgery to carotid artery stenting, Skyline’s state-of-the-art Surgical Suites and Special Procedures Room are available around the clock.

Rehabilitation

Skyline provides both inpatient and outpatient rehab services, including cardiac and pulmonary rehab programs and an inpatient rehab center.

These multidisciplinary programs emphasize education and monitored physical activity to help participants learn risk factors, medications, safe activity levels, anatomy, diet and stress management as they safely establish good exercise habits.

Cardiac Rehab offers three distinct phases. Phase I occurs while the patient is still hospitalized. From the time of the event until discharge from the hospital, a patient’s needs are assessed and a recovery program developed to help improve physical and mental strength. Exercises may include assisted walking, stationary biking and range of motion exercises to increase endurance and mobility. 

Phase II Cardiac Rehab, conducted on an outpatient basis, helps patients continue a safe exercise program and increases self-confidence during the recovery process. Patients typically attend one-hour sessions, three times a week for twelve weeks, and are supervised and monitored. Physicians, nurses, physical and occupational therapists and nutritionists work as a team to help patients develop healthy living habits. A physician’s referral is required for participation.

Phase III of the recovery process aims to help patients maintain their healthy lifestyle by encouraging patients to continue exercising and developing a healthy lifestyle in a less structured involvement.

Skyline Medical Center is now home to Cardiac Scoring Technology performed with our state of the art 64-slice CT Scanner.  Cardiac Scoring can detect the smallest amount of calcification in your coronary arteries in as little as ten minutes.  No needles. No incisions. Just the most complete and accurate scan of your heart available. Click here to learn more

Prevention

As our understanding of heart disease grows, so does our comprehension of risk factors and prevention. There are major risk factors which research has shown are definitely associated with increases in heart disease such as increased age, heredity, smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and physical inactivity. Men and postmenopausal women are at greater risk.

There are also contributing risk factors, which are less precisely understood such as stress, obesity and socioeconomic status. The more risk factors a person has, the greater the chance he or she will develop cardiovascular disease.  Among the services Skyline provides for helping people manage their risk factors and prevent heart disease and stroke are:

• Risk Assessments - Try our online Stroke Risk Assessment or you can receive a printable version by calling TriStar MedLine^SM at 615-342-1919 or 1-800-242-5662.
• Screenings - Cardiac-risk, Stroke-risk as well as blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose screenings are offered numerous times throughout the year.  Peripheral vascular disease screenings are also offered.
• Educational Classes - Classes on quitting smoking and losing weight, among the most manageable risk factors, are offered throughout the year.

For more information on classes and screenings, call TriStar MedLine^SM at 615-342-1919 or 800-242-5662.

Know the Symptoms

More than a million Americans suffer a heart attack each year, and another 600,000 experience a stroke.  The key to survival is recognizing the symptoms and getting fast treatment at a hospital. Early detection and immediate treatment may prevent further injury to the heart or the brain. Drugs such as tissue plasminogen activator (TPA), or other thrombolytic agents, must be administered within a very short window of time after the onset of symptoms.

Know the symptoms of heart attack and stroke, and seek care immediately if you, or someone you are with, experiences them.

Heart attack warning signs can include:

• Pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in chest
• Pain or numbness in one or both arms, back, neck, jaw or stomach
• Shortness of breath
• A cold sweat
• Nausea, vomiting
• Lightheadedness

Warning signs of stroke, also known as brain attack, may include:

• Sudden numbness
• Weakness
• Difficulty speaking
• Blurred vision
• Dizziness
• Severe headache

Skyline's patients are often among the first to be able to access the newest treatments, such as carotid artery stenting, since Skyline physicians often help to pioneer new technology and devices. Skyline also offers a Stroke Support Group and a Brain Aneurysm Support Group, first in the state of Tennessee.