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.

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    Summer Rashes
    Anonym
    / Categories: WELLNESS, 2022

    Summer Rashes

    Our skin is our largest organ and the interface between us and the world. All of that exposure creates the potential for irritation and discomfort. In some cases, a visible rash will disappear on its own; while in other cases, a rash is an indication of a serious infection working from the inside out. Either way, your skin is trying to tell you something. Here’s my list of rashes that occur most frequently during the summer months and how to prevent and treat them.

    Heat Rash
    Sometimes heat rash comes with no symptoms, other than the rash itself. Other times, heat rashes can be itchy or prickling. This rash is caused by blocked sweat glands. It usually resolves on its own, once the skin cools down.

    Heat rash is most common among athletes working out in warm temperatures and occurs in the folds of the skin and where clothing rubs the skin. Babies are also susceptible to heat rash. It appears most often on their neck, shoulders, chest, and in skin folds. To prevent heat rash, wear loose breathable cotton clothing, sleep in cool and well-ventilated areas, work out during cooler times of day, and shower as soon as possible after workouts.

    Swimmer’s Itch
    Lakes and oceans sometimes host parasites that cause swimmer’s itch, a summer rash also known as cercarial dermatitis. The parasites usually live in sea birds and ducks and cannot live in humans. They die soon after infecting your skin and don’t cause any other symptoms.

    Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease
    While coxsackie—also known as hand, foot, and mouth disease—is most common among kids, it can affect adults, as well. And just as the flu thrives in the winter, this virus loves the summer. It all starts with a fever. Then red splotches appear on the hands, feet, and in the mouth. The condition itself is not dangerous and usually resolves in a few weeks. Children with the condition sometimes don’t want to eat or drink, due to mouth pain, which puts them at risk of dehydration. Use acetaminophen as directed to relieve the fever and pain. Good and frequent handwashing is the best prevention.

    Contact Dermatitis
    The oil of many common plants—poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac, and poison parsnip—all cause a rash made up of tiny very itchy blisters. While the dermatitis resolves on its own within a few weeks, it can be very uncomfortable. Take care to protect your skin while working in the garden or woods. An over the counter steroid cream or calamine lotion can help reduce the itch. 

    Monkey Pox
    While     monkey pox isn’t associated with a specific time of year, it is making an appearance worldwide this summer. The first case in  Vermont appeared late last month, and more are certain to arise. Symptoms are flu-like (including fever, fatigue, and aches), swelling of the lymph nodes, and a rash on the face and body. They are mild in most cases, and most people with monkey pox do not require treatment.

    Contracting monkey pox requires contact with body fluids of an infected person, either directly or through shared bedding, clothing, or utensils. Close contact may allow monkey pox to spread via respiratory droplets. The best prevention is to avoid contact with those who are infected.

    Bullseye Rash
    Eyrthema Migrans is the bullseye rash associated with Lyme disease, which is caused by a bacteria transferred to humans and other animals through the bite of a brown-legged tick. Not all people with Lyme get the rash; but if you have a bullseye rash, you can be almost certain you have Lyme. See your doctor for treatment within a day or two, as advanced Lyme disease can be debilitating. The quicker you get treatment the easier it is to treat. And     prevent tick bites, because you can be reinfected.

    This is a helpful reminder to listen to your skin. If you see or feel an abnormality, investigate it using these tips and, if necessary, your healthcare provider’s help. Together, you can restore your skin and your sense of comfort and wellbeing. 

    Nicholas Wild, MD, is a family medicine physician at SVMC Northshire Campus in Manchester, VT. The practice is part of Southwestern Vermont Medical Center and Southwestern Vermont Health Care in Bennington. 

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