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    Cardiac Services

    Parkwest Medical Center is a heartbeat ahead in cardiovascular services. Named as one of the nation's top 100 cardiovascular hospitals seven times of the award’s eight-year history, we offer a full cardiovascular service line that includes Coronary Bypass surgery, diagnostic and interventional cardiac procedures.

    Parkwest offers a complete continuum of heart care from prevention efforts (education, exercise programs, diet and stress management) to early detection, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation, using the most complete and advanced range of technologies and healing protocols available in East Tennessee.

    Invasive Cardiovascular Laboratory
    Location: First floor, Riverstone
    Phone: 373-1335

    The Cardiovascular Laboratory includes five procedure labs for diagnostic and interventional cardiac procedures, pacemaker and internal cardiac defibrillators, and diagnostic and interventional electrophysiology procedures. There is also a comprehensive lab for diagnostic and interventional peripheral vascular procedures, family consultation rooms, a six-bay holding area, and four physician reading rooms.

    Procedures include: left heart catheterization, right heart catheterization, cardiac biopsy, temporary pacemaker insertion, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, stent procedures, Rotablator, Pressure wire doppler, Cutting Balloon, electrophysiology studies and ablations, peripheral procedures, closure device, intra-aortic balloon pump insertion, pericardiocentesis, cardioversion, peripheral athrectomy and carotid stenting. After-hours emergency cases are handled by on-call coverage available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

    Carotid Artery Disease - with advancements in the realm of peripheral vascular studies, we now offer an alternative to traditional surgery for treatment of carotid disease, the placement of carotid stents.

    What Is A Cardiac Catheterization?
    A cardiac catheterization is a procedure using small catheters in a x-ray room to evaluate the arteries on a patient's heart.

    What Happens If I Have A Blocked Coronary Artery?
    Your cardiologist will work with you to decide the best and safest treatment for your blockage. Many blockages can be treated in the cath lab with the interventional tools we have available. Stents, rotational atherectomy, angiojet and intravascular ultrasound are some of the technologies that the cardiologist can recommend.

    Digital Cath Lab

    Physicians Able to View Cardiac X-rays in Seconds
    Physicians at Parkwest Medical Center can now better view and treat blocked coronary arteries with a new all-digital cardiovascular imaging system. The GE Innova™ 2100 is a revolutionary system that allows cardiologists to view hard-to-see blood vessels with exceptional clarity even under the most difficult conditions. In addition, Parkwest offers the GE Innova™ 3100 and 4100 for heart and peripheral studies.

    The digital technology enables faster procedures, requires less radiation exposure, and allows physician to see details, especially balloons and stents, more clearly. The end result is that better images produce better patient care.

    The Innova™ 2100, used in both diagnostic angiograms and angioplasty treatment studies, is equipped with a digital detector that reads x-rays passing through the patient's body. The detector creates an almost instantaneous image on a high-resolution monitor that can be viewed, networked, and archived electronically in a totally filmless fashion.

    Cardiologists also can "zoom in" to look at important areas in greater detail, allowing them to make confident diagnoses and perform therapeutic interventions if required.

    • Digital Cath Lab Fact Sheet
    • Digital Cath Lab News Release

     

     

    Drug-Coated Stent

    Prevents Reblockage of Clogged Coronary Arteries
    Heart patients at Parkwest Medical Center now have the opportunity to receive a highly anticipated medical product recently approved by the FDA. Parkwest was one of the first hospitals in Knoxville to implant the new drug-coated stent to treat clogged coronary arteries.

    A coronary stent is a small tube that is mounted on a balloon catheter and inserted into a blocked artery. When the balloon is inflated at the site of the blockage, the stent expands and is pressed into the inner wall of the artery, acting as a scaffold to hold the artery open.

    The new stent is coated with a drug that is absorbed inside the vessel to keep scar tissue from growing through openings in the stent mesh. This prevents reblockage and potential repeat procedures. Studies show that the drug-coated stent will reduce the incidence of reblockage by up to 90 percent.  

    • Drug-Coated Stent News Release

    Other Cardiac Services

    Cardiac Diagnostics
    Location: First floor, Riverstone

    Cardiac Diagnostics performs echocardiograms, stress tests, tilt studies, stress echocardiograms, and holter monitoring.

    Cardio Pulmonary Unit
    Location: Third floor, Montvue
    Phone: 373-1775 or 1776
    CPU is a 33 bed all private step-down unit specializing in cardiac, pulmonary, renal, and high-acuity medical patients who require intermediate intensive nursing. All rooms provide cardiac/pulse-oxymetry monitoring through wireless telemetry.

    Cardiac Specialty Unit
    Location: Third floor, Riverstone
    Phone: 373-4399
    33-bed, all-private cardiac specialty unit providing medical care to patients with various acute and chronic cardiopulmonary health problems. It has cardiac telemetry capability and specializes in post heart catheterization recovery.

    Cardiovascular Surgical Unit
    Location: Second floor, Montvue

    Phone: 373-1981
    All private rooms with primary nursing. Nurses are specially-trained in arrhythmic recognition and intervention. Twenty-seven beds, all private. Nurses are specially-trained in cardiopulmonary wellness education and post-open heart recovery.

    Plaza Cardiodiagnostics Department
    Location: Physicians Plaza (9330 Park West Blvd.), Suite 203
    Phone: 373-1335
    Plaza Cardiodiagnostics Department performs echocardiograms, stress tests, stress echocardiograms and nuclear medicine-related stress testing.

    Telemetry Control Services
    Location: Second floor, Riverstone
    Telemetry Control Services provides centralized cardiac and pulse oxymetry monitoring services for non-critical care nursing units.

    Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation
    Location: Fort Sanders West, 220 Fort Sanders West Blvd., Medical Office Building 2, Suite 205 (website)
    Phone: 531-5560
    Comprehensive cardiopulmonary rehabilitation including supervised exercise with telemetry monitoring, group and individualized educational counseling on lifestyle modifications to reduce the risk for heart disease and lung disease complications.