L. Austin Weeks Heart Rhythm Center: Comprehensive Care
Take Heart: Our Experience Centers on You
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When you combine half a century of first-rate medical experience with next-century technology, you get something very special: South Miami Heart Center at South Miami Hospital.
We’ve got a reputation that comes from a long track record of excellence and a team of highly skilled cardiovascular specialists. And now we’re perfectly poised for the future, with the latest equipment. It’s the best of both worlds: experience and innovation. And it’s what our community deserves.
South Miami Heart Center may be in a brand-new setting, but our comprehensive approach to cardiovascular care is anything but new. South Miami Hospital was practically built on cardiac services. In fact, we’ve been providing high-quality cardiovascular care for nearly 50 years.
Take Heart: Providing Quality Care with Experience
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South Miami Heart Center’s inpatient and outpatient facilities — including catheterization labs, electrophysiology, interventional radiology, echocardiography and noninvasive labs — are now all in one location on the second floor of South Miami Hospital.
We’ve enhanced our ability to provide excellent care and personalized service. Our team of experienced physicians and staff continues to be the cornerstone of our organization. And our investment in state-of-the-art technology is designed to give our expert team the tools they need to provide the best possible care to our patients.
Our six new procedure rooms have the most-sophisticated equipment so we can evaluate the smallest vessels of the human body and diagnose and treat the most-complicated cardiovascular problems. Our new inpatient unit is dedicated solely to cardiovascular care, putting specially trained staff at the bedside of each patient.
Our Heart Attack Unit is accredited by the Society of Chest Pain Centers. We’re the only nongovernmental hospital in Miami-Dade County to receive that distinguished accreditation. Our team provides precise diagnosis and treatment for heart attacks, with the goal of minimizing damage to the heart and giving our patients the best chance for a healthy recovery.
Of course, South Miami Heart Center is a source of pride for us. But the real beneficiary is our community, because our ability to prevent, diagnose and treat a full range of cardiac diseases is now better than ever.
Catheterization Laboratories: Restoring Flow to the Heart
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South Miami Heart Center’s cardiac catheterization team performs more than 2,000 procedures each year. Inpatient and outpatient procedures include diagnostic catheterizations and complex interventions.
Diagnostic catheterizations for coronary and valvular disease.
Balloon angioplasty, atherectomy and stenting.
Percutaneous Foramen Ovale Closure (PFO).
What Is Catheterization?
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Catheterization is a nonsurgical procedure in which X-ray images are used to insert a catheter (a long, narrow tube) into a blood vessel. The catheter is threaded into the heart’s arteries to find blockages. Sometimes, a small metal mesh tube, called a stent, is used to prop open the artery during angioplasty.
Electrophysiology: The Rhythm of Life
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Electrophysiology is the study of the heart’s electrical system. Symptoms such as heart palpitations, rapid heartbeat, fainting, shortness of breath and leg swelling may be signs that the electrical currents in the heart are not working properly. This creates abnormal heart rhythms, which can increase the risk of heart failure and sudden death.
Thanks to a $10 million gift by grateful patient L. Austin Weeks, our Center for Cardiac Electrophysiology offers the latest advances in the study and treatment of heart rhythm abnormalities. Our electrophysiologists and specialized staff implant devices that regulate the heartbeat, such as pacemakers and defibrillators, and monitor their effectiveness.
We use real-time, three-dimensional images of the heart to see inside its chambers with detail and precision. When we detect a problem, we can destroy the abnormal tissues and repair the heart’s electrical system.
We provide comprehensive education about heart failure. We also perform tilt table testing to diagnose fainting episodes. And our anticoagulation clinic helps monitor patients who are on blood-thinning medications.
Sudden Cardiac Death
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The largest cause of natural death in the United States is sudden cardiac death. Unlike a heart attack, which happens when one or more arteries to the heart are blocked, causing damage to the heart muscle, sudden cardiac death is a malfunction of the heart’s electrical system. This malfunction causes the heart to beat erratically.
The key to preventing sudden cardiac death is quick treatment. Access to a defibrillator — an electrical device that can shock the heart back into its regular rhythm — can save the life of someone experiencing sudden cardiac arrest. Defibrillators can be found in public places, such as schools, airports and shopping malls. South Miami Heart Center has donated nearly 500 defibrillators to Miami-Dade County public schools.
Vascular and Interventional Services: Minimally Invasive Procedures
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South Miami Heart Center’s interventional radiologists are highly experienced in minimally invasive services. Our interventional radiologists use advanced techniques to perform procedures such as:
Carotid stenting, which helps keep open the vessel that supplies blood to the brain.
Stent graft repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms.
Treatment of peripheral artery disease (PAD), which causes leg pain, rest pain, ulcers or gangrene.
Treatment of the narrowing of the renal arteries.
Embolization techniques to shrink uterine fibroid tumors.
Placement of devices to prevent blood clots in the lungs.
Chemotherapy and dialysis access management.
Chemoembolization and ablation of tumors.
Treatment of male and female infertility.
Treatment of spinal fractures and back pain.
Treating Uterine Fibroid Tumors
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For 30 percent of women, uterine fibroids cause pain and heavy bleeding. These benign growths in the uterus can be treated by uterine fibroid embolization, which is a nonsurgical treatment. Heart Center interventional radiologists use tiny instruments that are threaded through the blood vessels and guided by X-rays to remove the uterine fibroids. This procedure means that patients return to normal activities faster than with surgery.
Endovascular and Vascular Surgery: Tailoring Care
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Managing patients with vascular disease can be a complex process. South Miami Heart Center’s vascular surgeons are experts in treating diseases of the arteries and veins. Our physicians are fully trained in the latest techniques — from minimally invasive procedures to traditional surgery.
Our range of services includes:
Carotid stenting, which helps keep open the vessel that supplies blood to the brain.
Repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms, including less invasive stent-graft repair.
Treatment of peripheral artery disease (PAD), which causes leg pain, rest pain, ulcers or gangrene.
Treatment of the narrowing of the renal arteries.
Dialysis access procedures.
Treatment of blood clots in the legs (deep vein thrombosis) and preventing clots from traveling to the lungs with umbrella filters.
Treatment of varicose veins and leg swelling, including laser technology.
We approach the diagnosis, treatment and management of vascular disease with innovation and skill. Our physicians have years of experience performing complex surgeries and blood vessel reconstructions, as well as pioneering minimally invasive services. We bring this broad perspective to each patient by individually tailoring our care to their needs.
Wound Center: Healing Chronic Wounds
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Our Wound Center offers the latest treatments for chronic or nonhealing wounds. Our multi-disciplinary team of physicians, nurses, physical therapists, podiatrists and dietitians specialize in wound care. We understand that no two wounds are alike and create an individualized medical plan to fit the needs of each patient. Our staff uses state-of-the-art treatments, including compression therapy and specialized dressings, wraps and stockings, to heal the most complicated wounds.
Heart Attack Unit: When Every Second Counts
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When heart attacks happen, time is precious. Quick, experienced care can make a world of difference. The American Heart Association recommends angioplasties for heart attack patients within 90 minutes of arrival in the emergency room and we are consistently under 60 minutes. Our cardiac specialists are always available to perform angioplasty to reopen arteries. Their immediate action prevents permanent damage to the heart muscle.
We are the only non-governmental hospital in Miami-Dade County to be designated an Accredited Chest Pain Center. Round-the-clock care is provided by emergency room physicians, interventional cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons and nurses. Our team works with fire rescue to coordinate treatment while patients are en route to the hospital. We are ready — 24 hours a day, seven days a week — to immediately diagnose and treat heart attacks.
Innovative Research Improves Care
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South Miami Heart Center is involved in numerous studies aimed at improving our patients’ health and quality of life. These clinical trials are sponsored by National Institutes of Health, nationally known universities and pharmaceutical and medical device companies. Areas include preventive cardiology, electrophysiology, cardiothoracic surgery and interventional radiology.
Cardiology Services: Treating the Heart
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At South Miami Heart Center, we provide diagnostic testing for a wide range of cardiac conditions. Procedures and services include:
Electrocardiograms, which record the electrical activity of the heart.
24-hour and 30-day outpatient ambulatory EKG.
Stress testing to evaluate the effect of exercise on the heart.
A specialized test for arrhythmia.
Transesophageal and transthoracic echocardiograms that provide a broader view of the heart.
How Sound Is Your Heart?
At South Miami Heart Center, we use sound to diagnose the health of your heart. This procedure is called echocardiography. It’s a way of getting a clear look inside, into the very structures of your heart. Unlike a stethoscope that listens to the sound of your heart, echocardiography uses sound waves to “see” inside your heart. Echocardiography is the new stethoscope. Using this very safe technology, we can evaluate the strength of your heart.
Noninvasive Vascular Lab: Mapping Veins and Arteries
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Our noninvasive vascular lab is nationally accredited by the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Vascular Laboratories. Our technologists have met rigorous national standards for excellence. We perform carotid imaging and peripheral/venous studies. These are painless diagnostic techniques that use ultrasound to precisely map veins and arteries and study blood flow.
State-of-the-Heart Technology l Cardiovascular Wellness and Prevention
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At South Miami Heart Center, the human touch gets a strong helping hand from the latest technology to create an environment in which compassion and science are combined. With amazing speed and accuracy, our doctors can pinpoint a heart problem using the 64-slice CT scanner. In less than half a second, after only five heartbeats, the scanner creates high-resolution, three-dimensional images of the heart. This noninvasive procedure measures blockages in arteries and sees early disease in the blood vessel walls, painlessly and accurately. It is used as an outpatient tool and to evaluate and treat chest pain in the Emergency Center.
Who May Benefit from a CT Heart Scan
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The CT Heart Scan allows doctors to examine both the heart’s motion and its pumping action as they look for plaque in the blood vessels and other signs of heart disease. It may be recommended for individuals who have experienced chest pain or symptoms related to heart disease. The quick and painless test may also be considered for patients who have no symptoms but are at risk for blocked arteries in their heart. Risk factors include:
A family history of heart disease
High blood pressure
High cholesterol
Diabetes
Smoking
Being overweight or obese
Physical inactivity
Cardiac Rehabilitation Unit: Cardiovascular Wellness and Prevention
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Cardiac rehabilitation is a medically supervised program designed to reduce the risk of recurring coronary artery disease. Our expert medical team includes physicians, nurses, exercise specialists and dietitians. We support patients as they follow individually tailored exercise and diet plans and improve their overall health. The program also provides education to cardiac and vascular patients who have experienced angina, heart attack, cardiac surgeries, angioplasty, heart failure or vascular disease, or who have pacemakers. South Miami Heart Center’s Cardiac Rehabilitation Unit is nationally certified by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation.
South Miami Heart Center offers cholesterol testing, nutritional counseling and prescription for exercise and weight loss as part of our comprehensive health program.
Diabetes Care
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At South Miami Heart Center, we understand the challenges of living with diabetes. We offer a comprehensive program to help patients keep their diabetes under control. We provide free blood sugar screenings, external insulin pump therapy, self-management education and supportive counseling. Our team of physicians, nurses, nutritionists and counselors work with patients to handle the issues associated with the disease, including problems with the eyes, kidneys and heart. Our goal is to teach patients to manage their diabetes, while leading active lives.
Know Your Numbers
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The dashboard of your car is filled with gauges and numbers that tell you what’s going on at all times. How about your body? Do you know your vital statistics — the important numbers — that tell you the status of your health? Blood pressure, cholesterol levels, blood glucose levels, body mass index, waist circumference. You need to know your numbers. Our experts at South Miami Heart Center can help determine whether you are at risk for heart disease.
Community Programs: Cardiovascular Wellness and Prevention
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At South Miami Heart Center, we take a total approach to patient care. We see our role as more than just diagnosing and treating disease. We focus on wellness and education, bringing programs to our community that help individuals learn about heart health and enhance their quality of life. Our programs reach thousands of people each year.
Our Heart Center physicians and nurses have lectured on timely issues such as obesity and heart disease, electrophysiology and vascular disease. Patients living with heart-related diseases or diabetes find comfort and compassion at one of our monthly support groups. We also offer heart-related screenings, including cholesterol, diabetes, blood pressure, leg circulation, waist circumference, body mass index and lung capacity.
L. Austin Weeks Heart Rhythm Center: Comprehensive Care
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When L. Austin Weeks came to South Miami Heart Center for treatment of his abnormal heart rhythm, he was so grateful for the care he received that he gave the Center a remarkable gift of appreciation. His $10 million donation established a center of excellence in cardiac electrophysiology, which includes the L. Austin Weeks Heart Rhythm Center. Our center offers a full range of heart and vascular care — from outpatient diagnostic testing and monitoring to the management of chronic cardiovascular diseases.
Anticoagulation Clinic – Our clinic is designed to treat, manage and educate patients on anticoagulation therapy. Our nurse practitioners and registered nurses are specially trained in this area and communicate constantly with referring physicians.
Device Clinic – We provide clinical evaluation of implanted devices—pacemakers, pacemakers/defibrillators and biventricular pacemakers. We assess how the devices are working, from battery depletion and lead malfunctions to component failures and other abnormalities. We also offer consistent diagnostic and technical follow-up care and handle device advisories and recalls. We give referring physicians individualized reports for each patient to ensure a coordinated treatment plan.
Heart Failure Program – This outpatient program offers chronic disease management and education to patients suffering heart failure. Our specially trained team provides the latest medical information, as well as a comprehensive plan for living with the illness.
Vascular Screening Program – We offer simple, painless tests to detect potentially life-threatening conditions such as abdominal aortic aneurysm (abnormal enlargement of the main artery leading from the heart), carotid artery disease (narrowing of the artery that supplies blood to the brain) and peripheral artery disease (blockages in arteries in the legs), which often have no symptoms.
Women’s Heart Program – Our program offers women a 50-minute, one-on-one consultation with a cardiovascular nurse. The session includes cholesterol, blood pressure and body mass index screenings, a cardiac risk profile and a physician referral, if needed. The program also works closely with South Miami Hospital’s Behavioral and Collaborative Medicine Department to provide stress management classes, meditation, art and music therapy, mind-body exercise classes, massage therapy and support groups.
Click here for a listing of the South Miami Heart Center Executive Committee