Cardiology
With heart disease continuing to be a leading threat to the health of Americans, Holy Cross Hospital – West Valley is dedicated to supporting our community with a broad spectrum of cardiac services.
Our Services
Our cardiology team uses advanced technology, testing and chest pain protocols to quickly and accurately diagnose whether your cardiac event is a heart attack or an indicator of another acute or chronic heart condition.
We can help with critical early diagnosis, sophisticated screenings and interventional treatments to clear blocked arteries before they cause additional issues.
Cardiac catheterization
Cardiac catheterization helps doctors evaluate how well the heart is functioning and whether there are blockages in the arteries. Using advanced imaging technology, doctors navigate a very thin flexible tube into the arteries to spot plaque build-up in the heart’s vessels.
If blockages exist, an interventional cardiologist will use treatments such as angioplasty or stent placements to restore better blood flow. Since cardiac catheterization is a minimally invasive procedure, most patients feel better within hours, and some can go home the same day.
Diagnostic testing
Holy Cross Hospital – West Valley hospital houses state-of-the-art technology capable of producing clear, detailed views of the human heart. This helps doctors detect heart disease with pinpoint accuracy. Our advanced diagnostic testing capabilities include:
- 64-slice CT scanner
- Echocardiography
- Electrocardiogram (EKG)
- Holter and event monitoring
- Nuclear medicine cameras
- Stress testing
- Transesophageal echo
Heart screening
Early detection is the key to treating heart disease. A heart scan screening is a noninvasive way to detect health problems before symptoms occur.
This 10-minute procedure performed on a state-of-the-art 64-slice CT scanner measures the amount of plaque in the coronary arteries. Plaque is the substance that builds within the walls of the arteries and can cause a heart attack if the arteries become blocked.
Peripheral arterial disease
If you suffer from leg pain, you may be at risk of peripheral arterial disease (PAD). To screen for PAD, we use an ankle-brachial index (ABI) to compare blood pressure readings in the ankles with those in the arms, which can help identify blood flow issues and diagnose this painful condition. PAD risk factors include:
- Achiness
- Age
- Black and Hispanic ethnicity
- Burning
- Diabetes
- Fatigue
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Painful cramping
- Personal or family history of heart or vascular disease
- Sedentary lifestyle
- Smoking
