Cardiac Care and the heart center at Umh

It’s a fact – heart disease is the leading killer throughout our community.*

In response, Underwood-Memorial Hospital continues to mount an aggressive campaign to change this chilling fact.

The Heart Center at Underwood-Memorial is the only hospital-based cardiac diagnostic and rehabilitation facility in Gloucester County. It is here that we offer a broad range of diagnostic testing using the latest and most sophisticated cardiac technology in a comfortable atmosphere with friendly, personal attention provided by our physicians, nurses, technologists and other healthcare professionals.

Our state-of-the-art, August D. Pistilli cardiac catheterization laboratory and board certified invasive cardiologists bring to our community hospital environment one of the most advanced and effective means to evaluate heart structure and function while determining severity of coronary artery blockage. Reinforcing our diagnostic and treatment capabilities is our award winning** cardiac rehabilitation program. Our cardiac rehab team takes an active role teaching and focusing on issues such as lifestyle modification, chest pain and emergency management, smoking cessation, weight and stress management, cardiac medications, changing dietary habits and the importance of exercise maintenance.

Cardiac care at Underwood-Memorial — helping our friends and neighbors enjoy a better quality of life. Now that’s a fact you can live with!

You can reach the Heart Center at (856) 853-2123.

UMH Heart Center Introduces New Treatment for Patients Suffering Angina

EECP – Enhanced External Counter Pulsation

Angina (an-JI-nuh or AN-juh-nuh) is chest pain or discomfort that occurs when your heart muscle does not get enough blood. Angina may feel like pressure or a squeezing pain in your chest. The pain may also occur in your shoulders, arms, neck, jaw, or back. It may also feel like indigestion. Angina is a symptom of coronary artery disease (CAD), the most common type of heart disease. CAD occurs when plaque builds up in the coronary arteries. This buildup of plaque is called atherosclerosis. As plaque builds up, the coronary arteries become narrow and stiff. Blood flow to the heart is reduced. This decreases the oxygen supply to the heart muscle.  Underwood Memorial’s Heart Center has introduced Enhanced External Counter Pulsation (EECP), a new and non-invasive treatment for patients with angina.

According to the Heart Center’s patient care coordinator, Maria Turse, MSN, RN, “studies presented in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and Clinical Cardiology have shown that treatment of angina with EECP can relieve or eliminate angina and improve blood flow to the heart.” Turse continued, “A follow-up study of patients demonstrated that almost 80% of patients who experienced relief of symptoms and improvement of heart blood flow immediately after a course of EECP sustained those benefits for a period lasting two to three years and in some cases, as many as five years.” Angina patients may expect reduction or elimination of anginal episodes, less dependence upon anti-anginal medication, and improved exercise tolerance.

EECP may be considered a preferred treatment option for many angina patients. Unlike bypass surgery and balloon angioplasty which are invasive procedures and more risk prone, EECP can be administered in outpatient sessions. According to Turse, “EECP carries little or no risk, is relatively comfortable and is well received by patients who have completed their course of treatments.”

EECP is a well-tolerated therapy for patients with chronic angina. It is particularly well-suited for patients who are not candidates for invasive procedures because they may have other risk factors making them less suitable for invasive procedures or the patient is unwilling to undergo them.

If you would like more information on EECP or would like to discuss this new treatment please talk with your doctor or contact Maria Turse, MSN, RN or Denise Giordano, RN at the Heart Center at Underwood-Memorial Hospital – (856) 853-2123.

* Source: NJ Department of Health and Senior Services
** Awarded best overall nursing performance in outpatient cardiac rehabilitation by Nursing Enrichment Consultants