SVMC cardiology

 

 

STRIVING TO IMPROVE YOUR LIFE ONE BEAT AT A TIME

You get one life and you get one heart. The board-certified cardiologists and associated practitioners at SVMC Cardiology are committed to helping you make the most of both.

Our patient-centered approach to care and personalized care plans maximize your quality of life while delivering the treatment you need when you need it.

Creating the appropriate treatment plan for your condition begins with a cardiac consultation. Your consultation is a chance for you to share your health history and current concerns with your cardiologist. All necessary exams and tests are conducted on-site by your cardiac care team. The results are shared and discussed directly with you so that you fully understand your condition, treatment options, associated risks, and potential lifestyle changes.

After a heart episode or surgery, there’s nothing our cardiac team and you want more than for you to just get back on your feet and live the life you want. That’s why we begin your rehabilitation program before you even leave the hospital. Through a combination of education and exercise, your personalized program will help you build strength and reduce your risk factors. Using the full range of cardio equipment in our Cardiac Rehab Center and under the watchful eye of our rehab team, you’ll improve your heart’s strength and capacity and get closer to resuming a full and active lifestyle. For more information about Cardiac Rehabilitation, click here.

In order to understand how well your heart is or isn’t functioning, an echocardiogram may be performed. This non-invasive procedure uses sound waves to produce images of your heart. Both of SVMC’s cardiologists are board certified in echocardiography and able to observe how your heart is pumping and identify any abnormalities in the heart muscle or valves. An echocardiogram allows our team to make the most informed and appropriate recommendations for the next steps in your care.

If a standard echocardiogram does not provide a clear image of your heart, your SVMC care team may recommend a transesophageal echocardiogram or TEE. Performed at the hospital, this procedure involves inserting a flexible tube containing a transducer down your throat and into your esophagus. From this closer vantage point, the transducer then uses sound waves to create more detailed images of your heart and allows for better diagnosis.

Before we treat your heart, we need understand how it’s performing. At SVMC we offer a number of non-invasive stress tests that can quickly and easily reveal a number of things including: how well your heart works during increasing levels of activity; how certain medications are impacting blood flow; the effectiveness of procedures done to improve heart performance; and more.

If you have risk factors for heart disease, calcium scoring may may help you learn more about whether you are actually at risk. The non-invasive test uses high-speed CT imaging technology to measure the hardening of the heart’s arteries, a leading indicator of heart disease and heart attacks. Visit the calcium scoring page for complete details. 

A pacemaker is one of the most effective ways to ensure a heart maintains a steady, healthy beat. The SVMC cardiac team is exceptionally skilled and experienced at both pacemaker implantation and monitoring. Considered a minor surgery, implantation takes place at the hospital with most patients returning to normal activity (and a more steadily beating heart) within a few days. Like all medical equipment, pacemakers need a little TLC every now and then. At SVMC our cardiac team can perform routine monitoring, both remotely and in the office, and reprogramming as needed.

One of the most common cardiac diagnostic tools, an EKG is a painless way to check for problems with the electrical activity of your heart. The EKG translates and records your heart’s electrical activity over a period of time and translates it into waves. Your SVMC care provider can use printouts of the waves to detect any patterns that might point to a specific condition and put together a treatment plan that meets your specific needs.

Should your SVMC cardiac care provider want to monitor your heart over a longer period of time than is practical for a standard EKG, you may be given a Holter or event monitor. Worn outside the body and completely painless, monitors are helpful in detecting abnormalities that only happen occasionally and can help your doctor link any abnormalities to specific activities or events in your day.

Carotid ultrasound
At SVMC our goal is to treat your health issues before they become problems. Using our sophisticated carotid ultrasound test, your cardiac care provider can detect blockages in your neck arteries that could lead to a stroke or indicate problems in other parts or your circulatory system.

Education
Because understanding what causes heart problems is essential to resolving them, we offer a variety of educational resources to patients and their families.  Workshops are offered on an ongoing basis throughout the Dartmouth-Hitchcock network, and condition-specific literature is available in our offices. 

SVMC Cardiac Rehab

SVMC Pulmonology

American Heart Association 

Go Red for Women 

American College of Cardiology 

140 Hospital Drive, Suite 211, Bennington, VT 05201
Phone: (802) 442-0800
Fax: (833) 343-1597

Hours:
Monday – Friday:  8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Directions: 
For directions to SVMC Cardiology, click here. 

Parking:
For appointments at SVMC Cardiology, park in parking area P3 or P5.

    related articles

    Loneliness & Isolation Takes a Toll on Your Health
    Kathryn Czaplinski
    / Categories: WELLNESS, 2024

    Loneliness & Isolation Takes a Toll on Your Health

    Tips for Staying Connected

    Last year, the U.S. Surgeon General raised the alarm about an emerging—and atypical—public health crisis: loneliness, isolation, and lack of connection.

    Perhaps the most startling finding contained in the 85-page advisory, Surgeon General’s Advisory on Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation,  is the fact that loneliness and lack of connection can increase one’s risk for premature death to levels comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

    Specific physical consequences of poor connection include: a 29% increased risk of heart disease, a 32% increased risk of stroke, a 50% increased risk of developing dementia for older adults and a higher risk of suffering from depression and anxiety.

    Lack of social connection is also linked to higher risk of developing diabetes and hypertension, having a stroke, and an increased susceptibility and weakened immune response when exposed to infectious diseases.

    Perhaps one of the most interesting findings in the advisory is the fact that older Americans are not as lonely as younger ones. In fact, only 17% of people aged 65 and up reported feeling lonely, whereas rates were highest (27%) in young adults. This high percentage correlates with the fact that young people (aged 15-24) are having 70% less social interaction with friends than they did two decades ago. It also underscores the fact that it’s still possible to feel lonely even if you’re surrounded by people all day at school or work. Loneliness is about the quality, not the quantity, of your connections.

    Fortunately, there are things you do to build social connections and boost your health.

    Volunteer: Volunteering is a great way to meet people with similar interest, boost your self-esteem, and make a positive difference in the lives of others as well as yourself.

    Not sure where to volunteer? Visit Volunteer Match to find opportunities in your community ranging from food banks and working with animals to greeting visitors and trail maintenance.

    Sign up for a class or club: From formal pickleball and darts clubs to more casual walking/hiking groups and book clubs (ask at your local library), there’s no shortage of opportunities to engage with others. Don’t be afraid to admit something isn’t right for you. But don’t use it as an excuse to not try something else!

    Join a social, community, or religious group: Being part of a group with shared interests, values, or goals can be rewarding and foster a sense of belonging.

    Make dates and keep them: There’s a reason they say, ‘old friends are like gold.’ Make time to reconnect with treasured old friends and then make it a habit. In addition to preventing isolation and loneliness, friends can help you celebrate good times and provide support during bad times. 

    If you are feeling isolated or lonely, and especially if you’re facing major life changes including new health issues, divorce, retirement, or the loss of a loved one, talk to your doctor. There are ways to work through it. Being open and honest is an important first step.

     

    Pam Duchene, PhD, APRN-BC is the Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer at Southwestern Vermont Health Care.

     

    Print
    2764

    Theme picker

    Theme picker

    MORE NEWS

    Theme picker

    VIEW ALL

    Our Services

    PARTNERSHIP IS POWERFUL MEDICINE

    A commitment to excellence and a patient-centered approach sets Southwestern Vermont Health Care apart.

     Cancer Care
     Orthopedics
     Emergency
     Maternity
     Primary Care
     ExpressCare
     Cardiology
     Rehab & Residential Care
    View All Services

    Theme picker

    Theme picker

    Theme picker

    VIEW ALL