The Beat Goes On at Porter

From the Winter 2012 StayHealthy publication

Don't Miss a Beat! Porter offers advanced cardiovascular care. Whether you've been diagnosed with heart disease or simply want to reduce your risk factors, you can depend on the following services every heartbeat of the way.

Interventional Cardiology
Physicians at Porter use advanced expertise to quickly determine the extent of coronary disease and then perform procedures to effectively open blocked arteries - quickly.

In fact, staff and physicians at Porter far exceed guidelines set by the American College of Cardiology, completing vital artery-blocking procedures within 90 minutes in more than 90 percent of all cases.

Center for Heart Rhythm Disorders
Porter's electrophysiology specialists perform diagnostic procedures to locate and assess irregular heart rhythms, and then provide effective treatments such as ablation therapy or the implanting of a cardiac pacemaker or defibrillator. Our successful outcomes are the combination of advanced technology, skilled professionals and extensive experience.

Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery
While Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting may be one of the country's most common major surgeries, there's nothing common about it at Porter. Working as a team, Porter far surpasses guidelines set by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS), consistently demonstrating that Porter patients experience one-third fewer complications and are ready to return home a day-and-a-half sooner than STS national results.

Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation
Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation is an integral part of the long-term success for Porter patients. Porter's rehabilitation team includes specialists in exercise physiology as well as diet and nutrition, assisting patients in building healthy lifestyles. The program offers each patient an individualized program in which they advance through three phases as they progress, learning healthy habits that can add up to a longer and better life.

Cardiovascular Imaging Lab
Porter's Cardiovascular Imaging Lab uses the latest technologies such as CTA (coronary computed tomography angiogram) and MRA (magnetic resonance angiogram) to provide detailed pictures of blood vessels and reveal calcium or plaque buildup that may indicate heart disease. Interpreted by Porter's highly trained and experienced specialists, these advanced imaging technologies provide detailed, multi-dimensional views of the heart, arteries and blood vessels while being noninvasive and comfortable for the patient.

Heart Failure Center
Our award-winning center for patients with heart failure helps patients maximize their quality of life and assist in their recovery. The Center's goal is to keep patients from needing to be readmitted to the hospital, increasing their time at home in familiar surroundings for maximum healing. Our Heart Failure Tele-management Program provides patients and their families with the education and encouragement to help them become comfortable with the treatment program prescribed by their physicians. More intensive treatment, such as infusion therapy is also available when needed. Since its inception in 2000, Porter's Heart Failure Center has helped more than 2,500 patients maximize their quality of life. In fact, Porter consistently earns perfect scores on the national Core Quality Measures for treatment of patients with congestive heart failure, demonstrating that 100 percent of the time, Porter has employed the recommended medical practices for treating patients with heart failure.

Peripheral & Endovascular Intervention
The team at Porter offers the expertise and technology to treat vascular disease and conditions that reduce the effectiveness of your circulatory system or create life-threatening blockages. Porter offers many surgical and interventional options, including surgical repair to the carotid arteries to restore circulation to the brain, bypass surgery to restore circulation to the lower extremities, angioplasty and stenting of the arteries in the lower extremities to restore circulation, placement of stents in the abdominal aorta to resolve aortic artery enlargement, and carotid angioplasty and stenting to restore blood circulation.

Center for Heart Valve Disease
Porter is proud to have introduced the regions first center devoted exclusively to the intricacies of treating heart valve disease. This innovative center is dedicated to discovering the type, location and extent of possible heart valve problems. As the only hospital in the area to over 3-D TEE (transesophageal echocardiography), Porter can provide real-time images of the heart from every angle, which helps provide quick detection of heart valve problems and suggest the best treatment options. Once detected, the Center offers new alternatives to valve replacement for many patients as well as outstanding outcomes for those whose best option is replacement.