More than 64 million Americans live with heart disease, according to the American Heart Association. If you or a loved one suffers with coronary artery disease, a heart rhythm disorder, or heart failure, it’s good to know that you can find advanced diagnosis, interventional heart treatment and rehabilitation close to home. 

In Delaware County, Crozer-Keystone is the first provider of primary angioplasty, which is now considered the most effective emergency procedure to open blocked arteries in a patient having an acute heart attack. It is the first electrophysiology program to treat heart rhythm disorders. And it offers cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), a unique device therapy for heart failure.

“We believe people in and around Delaware County should have convenient access to interventional cardiac care,” says Ancil Jones, M.D., medical director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory of Crozer-Chester Medical Center and an attending physician in clinical cardiology at Taylor Hospital. “The Crozer-Keystone hospitals provide advanced testing and treatment right here in our community.” 

Diagnosing Heart Disease

Coronary arteries supply the heart muscle with oxygen. If these blood vessels become narrow due to a build-up of fats, dead cells and other materials, called plaque, this raises the risk of heart attack. Accurate diagnosis is important.

Cardiac catheterization is a non-surgical procedure that allows cardiologists to diagnose narrowed or blocked coronary arteries and other heart problems. A thin flexible tube (catheter) is guided to the heart through a blood vessel, X-ray contrast is injected through the catheter, and X-rays are taken.

“This is a key step in diagnosing heart disease and determining whether a patient needs treatment to open or bypass a blocked artery,” says Samuel Ruby, M.D., chief of the Section of Cardiology at Taylor Hospital. “We perform both testing and treatment in Crozer-Keystone’s cardiac catheterization labs.”

Opening Blocked Arteries

Crozer-Keystone specialists offer several non-surgical procedures to restore and maintain blood flow to the heart: angioplasty, stenting and rotational atherectomy.

In angioplasty, the cardiologist uses a catheter with a small balloon at its tip to press the plaque against the wall of the artery, which improves blood flow. Then, a small wire tube (stent) is often inserted into the artery and left in place to hold it open. However, the artery can become narrow again if plaque builds up on a stent; this process is called restenosis. A new advance over the bare metal stent is the drug-coated (drug-eluting) stent.

“In most patients we use drug-eluting stents to reduce restenosis,” explains Jonathan C. Felsher, M.D., an attending physician in interventional and clinical cardiology at Crozer-Chester Medical Center. “This decreases the likelihood that we will need to re-treat the same area of the artery in the future.”

Rotational atherectomy, using a high-speed instrument to cut through heavily calcified plaque, can also be used to reopen a partially blocked coronary artery, according to Dr. Jones.

Treating Heart Attack

Timely, effective treatment of heart attack patients saves lives. Crozer-Keystone uses clot-busting (thrombolytic) drugs for patients when appropriate. However, recent studies have shown that primary angioplasty — an emergency procedure to open blocked arteries in a heart attack patient — can be more effective. 

“Primary angioplasty is the most effective emergency procedure for most heart attack patients,” explains Michael B. Adesman, M.D., assistant medical director of Cardiac Catheterization at Crozer-Chester Medical Center. “Crozer-Keystone has been performing this life-saving procedure for more than a decade.”

Treating Arrhythmias and Fainting

Abnormal electrical signals in the heart can cause a heart rhythm disturbance (arrhythmia). Symptoms include a rapid or irregular heartbeat, palpitations and dizziness. Certain types of arrhythmias can raise the risk of strokes.

Electrophysiology testing helps physicians diagnose the causes of arrhythmias or fainting. In addition, Crozer-Keystone electrophysiologists perform tilt table testing to determine why a patient is feeling lightheaded or dizzy, or passing out.

Crozer-Keystone specialists offer non-surgical procedures to correct arrhythmias, such as a procedure to permanently block the abnormal electrical pathway (radiofrequency catheter ablation). They also perform surgical implantation of devices such as pacemakers and cardioverter defibrillators.

Treating Heart Failure

Heart failure is a serious condition in which the heart fails to pump enough blood to the body. Patients often feel exhausted and short of breath. For some patients, modern medications are not enough to treat this condition.

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is a unique device therapy for heart failure. In Crozer-Keystone’s electrophysiology lab, specialists place a special type of pacemaker under the patient’s skin below the collarbone. This “biventricular resynchronization” device causes the heart chambers to beat “in sync” with one another. This improves the heart’s pumping efficiency and helps relieve symptoms.

“About one out of three heart failure patients will benefit from CRT,” says Scott Hessen, M.D., medical director of Cardiac Electrophysiology at Crozer-Chester Medical Center. “These patients can see a remarkable difference in their lives.”

Dr. Hessen works closely with clinical cardiac electrophysiologists David S. Kleinman, M.D., Kataneh Maleki, M.D., and Colin M. Movsowitz, M.D., his colleagues at Crozer-Chester Medical Center.

Around the Clock
  
Crozer-Keystone’s heart care teams are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“All four Crozer-Keystone hospitals work closely to provide seamless care for heart patients, says Edward W. La Porta, M.D., physician cardiac transfer liaison and interventional cardiologist at Crozer-Chester Medical Center and an attending physician in clinical cardiology at Delaware County Memorial Hospital.

When a patient’s treatment requires a trip to a different Crozer-Keystone hospital, a dedicated team of paramedics specially trained in critical care patient management goes with the patient in the ambulance. The only such team in Delaware County, these paramedics are in constant touch with all heart team members involved in the patient’s care.

After treatment, the Crozer-Keystone hospitals provide rehabilitation and ongoing care.  Crozer-Keystone’s Cardiac Rehabilitation Programs, which are certified by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation, consist of monitored exercise sessions, cardiac risk factor modification, education, and counseling. We are committed to helping heart patients get well and stay well.

For more information about Crozer-Keystone Health System cardiac services, or to find a cardiologist who’s right for you and to make an appointment, call 1-800-CK-HEALTH (1-800-254-3258).