Cardiology at Memorial Health Meadows Hospital

We’ve developed some of the region’s most advanced cardiology services, beginning with prevention and extending to high-tech medicine.

Memorial Health Meadows Hospital offers one of the most advanced forms of cardiac catheterizations for releasing blocked arteries: radial angiography. We have also equipped ambulances in our primary service area for diagnosing and monitoring victims of coronary artery blockages before they arrive at the hospital. Once there, the cardiovascular lab provides advanced procedures like balloon angioplasty and stent implantation—the preferred treatments of the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiologists.

And when arteries supplying blood to the feet and legs harden or narrow—a condition called peripheral artery disease (PAD)—our specialists design a treatment plan based on the severity of each patient’s condition.

These services are available at Memorial Health Meadows Hospital in Vidalia: get directions.

Advanced Heart Attack Treatments

When someone you love is having a heart attack, time is everything. The faster you get the right care, the greater the chance of survival. That’s why Meadows Hospital has eliminated the need to travel by bringing life-saving heart attack treatments to the residents of Vidalia and the surrounding region.

Angioplasty: Balloon angioplasty uses catheterization to insert and inflate a miniature balloon that reopens arteries and gets blood flowing again.

Radial Angiography: This advanced form of angioplasty allows your cardiologist to use a catheter to access the heart through the wrist instead of the groin, giving you greater post-surgery mobility.

Stent Implantation: Small scaffolds, or "stents," are inserted during angioplasty to permanently support blocked or collapsed arteries.

STEMI Network: STEMI, or ST Elevated Myocardial Infarction, is the most dangerous type of heart attack. It’s caused by sudden blockage of an artery supplying vital nutrients to the heart. Without blood flow, virtually all of the heart muscle supplied by the affected artery begins to die. Getting treatment quickly is critical to surviving a STEMI. The STEMI program at Meadows Hospital greatly reduces the amount of time for diagnosis and treatment for cardiac patients. EMS providers are able to send cardiac information for heart attack patients from the ambulance to the emergency department prior to the patient’s arrival. This allows the hospital to react faster by preparing for the patient’s arrival and cuts down on the time the patient enters the catheterization lab.

Heart Health Diagnostics

We use a variety of methods to help diagnose and prevent coronary heart disease, heart attacks, strokes and other cardiac conditions.

Cardiac Catheterizations: This is the most advanced procedure for evaluating your heart’s health. A catheter is passed through a large blood vessel to your heart so your physician can see the flow of blood and pinpoint blockages or potential problems.

Stress Testing: Electrodes measure changes in heart rate, blood pressure and heart rhythm, often while you’re on a treadmill or stationary bike. The results are used to diagnose heart disease and help prevent heart attacks.

EKGs: Electrocardiograms can show evidence of a previous heart attack, decreased oxygen, an arrhythmia and other symptoms of endangered heart health—all within minutes. During the exam, small sticky electrodes are applied to your body and connected to an EKG machine to record your heart’s electrical impulses.

Pulmonary Function Testing: By having you breathe into different devices, technologists can measure your lungs’ capacities and how well they absorb oxygen into the bloodstream. This test is used to diagnose breathing problems like asthma or emphysema, assess a medication’s effectiveness and measure patient progress.

Therapeutic Cardiology

We offer the latest in cardiology care for safer day-to-day, heart-healthy living.

Oxygen Therapy: Administered in a number of ways, from personal oxygen tanks to hyperbaric oxygen chambers, this treatment is used to help body tissues and cells function properly.

Pacemaker Insertion: Used to help control abnormal heart rhythms, called arrhythmias, pacemakers use small electrical pulses to prompt normal heart rates. Newer devices also monitor factors like blood temperature and breathing rate to accommodate for changes in activities.

Peripheral Vascular Diagnostics and Treatment: We use several forms of testing to uncover peripheral artery disease (PAD), which occurs when arteries supplying blood to the feet and legs narrow or harden. Based on severity, treatment options range from self-care to angioplasty and stent implantation.