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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    The COVID Hotline’s Most Commonly Asked Questions
    Anonym
    / Categories: WELLNESS, 2021

    The COVID Hotline’s Most Commonly Asked Questions

    As cases rise, so do calls to the COVID-19 Info Hotline. We checked in with Director of Clinical Services for the D-H Putnam Medical Group Katharine Green, BSN, RN, and the nurses who answer your calls to learn what questions you are asking and their answers.

    What are the hours of the COVID Resource Center?
    Visit svhealthcare.org/COVID-Resource-Center for hours.   

    What if I am exposed? What do I do?

    • If you have symptoms, get tested as soon as possible, regardless of your vaccination status and quarantine until those results become available.
    • If you have no symptoms and you are vaccinated, get tested 3 – 5 days after the last exposure and wear a mask when in public until you know your results. If positive, follow the directions provided at the testing site.
    • If you have no symptoms and you are not vaccinated, quarantine for 7 days and get tested on or as close as possible to day seven. Even if you test negative before day seven, you will need another test on day seven to ensure that the results are accurate.

    Do I need a referral for COVID testing?
    No. If you have symptoms or think you have been exposed, you should be tested. No referral is required. When you schedule online or register for a drive-up test, be sure to indicate your primary care office; so they will get a copy of your results. If you test positive, call your primary care office; because they may have individualized treatment recommendations based on your risk factors.

    What sort of testing does the COVID Resource Center provide?
    We provide a PCR test, which is the standard for reliability and the type of test most institutions require for the purposes of verifying that you are eligible to return to work or school. Other types of tests are available in other locations, but this is most likely the best test for you.

    Do I need an appointment for COVID testing?
    Having an appointment makes COVID testing faster for you and your neighbors. Schedule ahead at     svhealthcare.org/COVID-Resource-Center. Not only are we able to space patients out, when you schedule online, you complete your consent electronically in the comfort of your home, instead of using a pen and paper in your car. This minimizes legibility errors. Plus, we can have the labels we use to mark your test tubes all printed out in advance, rather than having to write them out. Finally, you can indicate your primary care provider’s office, so they will receive the results automatically and be able to recommend important treatments more quickly. If you hit a snag scheduling or need an appointment right away, please use the drive-up appointment-free option. It’s more important to get the test when you need it than it is to have an appointment.

    It seems like all of the scheduled appointments are taken? What do I do?
    If the COVID Resource Center is open, please drive up for testing.

    My COVID test is negative, but I am really sick. What do I do?
    COVID-19 is not the only disease. Flu, pneumonia, strep throat, and other serious conditions can make you feel awful. If you are feeling sick, even with a respiratory illness, it could be something else. Call your primary care provider and get some help.

    When do I get my results?
    Most tests results are returned within 24 – 36 hours, but we are routinely returning them sooner. How soon you get your results depends on how many specimens are collected during that day and other factors.

    How do I get my results?
    There are so many easy and convenient ways to get your results. Read about them all here:     https://svhealthcare.org/Wellness-Connection/accessing-your-covid-test-results.

    I tested positive. What should I do?
    If you test positive, follow the directions for isolation at     https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/quarantine-isolation.html. Also, let your primary care provider know, as they may have individualized treatment recommendations for you.

    When can I discontinue isolation?
    Isolation and precautions can be discontinued 10 days after the first positive viral test and after resolution of fever for at least 24 hours, without the use of fever-reducing medications, and with improvement of other symptoms. Ten days is necessary even if you receive a negative test after your positive one. See     https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/duration-isolation.html for details.

    What’s the difference between a vaccine and a booster?
    For adults, the Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines and booster are identical. It is the same medication, the same preparation, and the same amount. For Moderna, the booster is the same medicine in a half dose. For children, the Pfizer vaccine is 1/3 of the adult dose.

    Can I choose what booster I get?
    Yes, you can. See advice from SVMC Infectious Disease Specialist Marie George, MD, FIDSA,     here.

    Can I get my COVID and flu shots at the same time?
    Yes. The COVID Resource Center is not providing flu shots at this time, but you can get both at most primary care practices and pharmacies.

    If your question isn't answered here, call the COVID-19 Info Hotline at 802-440-8844 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday - Friday. 

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