When you suffer heart failure or a heart attack, there is a slight possibility that you may require further treatment of the heart after the episode. For some, the heart may be too weak to undergo further treatment. The good news is there’s a clinically advanced device that is helping cardiologists offer you further treatment – by maintaining your heart in good condition while they further address heart problems. They are doing that with the help of the world’s smallest heart pump, the Impella® 2.5 Catheter, available at the nationally recognized and award-winning, Harlingen Medical Center.
The Impella® 2.5 Catheter is considered a great clinical advancement for heart patients who have an immediate need for further cardiac care after suffering an episode, such as a heart attack.
“The Impella® 2.5 Catheter is benefitting heart patients by performing the function of the heart muscle, allowing for further treatment, such as an angioplasty or stenting procedure to open blocked coronary arteries,” said Dr. Eduardo Flores, Cardiologist at Harlingen Medical Center. “This highly advanced device is helping us save lives by providing our patients the temporary cardiac support needed to ensure optimal care.”
The Impella® 2.5 Catheter, the temporary cardiac support it offers, and the optimal care available, at The Cardiovascular Center at Harlingen Medical Center, will all be topics of conversation Thursday, February 11, 2016, when Dr. Flores hosts “The World’s Smallest Heart Pump” Doc Talk Lecture at 6:00 p.m. in the hospital’s Medical Office Building (MOB) Conference Room.
Harlingen Medical Center is hosting a month-long series of Doc Talk Lectures as they relate to heart-topics, in conjunction with National Heart Month, this February. In addition to hosting the Doc Talk Lecture series, the hospital is also featuring valuable screenings at minimal costs. These screenings include the HeartSaver CT Scan and the Stroke Prevention Vascular Screening.
HeartSaver CT Scan
If you want to know whether you are at risk for a heart attack or heart failure, then you may want to invest 45-minutes of your time and have a HeartSaver CT Scan performed. This is a non-invasive screening that performed exclusively at the Harlingen Medical Center Imaging Center, located at 512 Victoria Lane, Suite 5, in Harlingen.
The HeartSaver CT Scan is the only one of its kind in Cameron County. It is considered to be one of the finest ultimate heart disease risk assessment tools available today. It can identify calcium or plaque build-up in the coronary arteries and it can disclose heart disease, at all stages, making it easier for your cardiologist to treat.
The HeartSaver CT Scan is a unique risk-assessment tool that only costs $50.00. If you would like to register for a HeartSaver CT Scan, please contact the Scheduling Department at 956-365-1839 to schedule your appointment.
Stroke Prevention Vascular Screening
The Stroke Prevention: Vascular Screening is a limited special engagement that will be offered during the month of February, again, in conjunction with National Heart Month. The screening will allow allow our MRI Technologists to perform a simple, but highly effective analysis on the Carotid Artery, Abdominal Aorta, and Peripheral Arteries. The analysis will help identify any issue that needs to be addressed, giving us the opportunity to care for the patient, in advance, before the issue develops into an urgent medical condition, or worse.
During the Stroke Prevention: Vascular Screening, the technologist will first screen the carotid artery for buildup of fatty plaque. Left untreated, the fatty plaque may lead to a stroke, also known as a brain attack. A stroke occurs when plaque stops the flow of blood to the brain or when a blood vessel in or around the brain bursts.
The technologist will then screen the abdominal aorta. This will search the aortic artery for the presence of an aneurysm, also known as an enlargement, which occurs when part of the artery wall weakens and widens abnormally, or balloons out. Left untreated, a ruptured aneurysm may lead to instant death.
Finally, the technologist will screen the peripheral arteries for plaque buildup in the lower extremities (legs). Left untreated, plaque may lead to the development of Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD), also known as atherosclerosis. PAD is also known to cause and possibly more serious health complications.
The Stroke Prevention: Vascular Screening is quick and easy. It is a non-invasive screening, which means it is completed by scanning the skin in the respective areas. All three vascular screenings are performed at the Radiology and Imaging Department at Harlingen Medical Center, located at 5501 S. Expressway 77 in Harlingen. The cost of the vascular screening is a nominal $139.00.
To learn more about the Doc Talk Lecture, featuring Dr. Flores, the HeartSaver CT Scan, or the Stroke Prevention: Vascular Screening, please call the Business Development and Marketing Department at 956-365-1848.
About the Cardiovascular Center
The Cardiovascular Center at Harlingen Medical Center is paving the way for progressive treatment of patients from across South Texas, and beyond. We specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease. Our top-ranked heart team provides minimally-invasive diagnostic testing and treatment, as well as advanced cardiac and vascular interventions, such as angioplasty, stenting, cardiac ablation, open heart surgery, minimally invasive heart valve repair and replacement, and coronary artery bypass graft.
To learn more about this program and Harlingen Medical Center, log on to our website at www.harlingenmedicalcenter.com.