The SSM Heart Institute features a variety of proven non-surgical treatments using the latest techniques and equipment. Since there are many types of heart disease, we specialize in customizing these proven treatments to produce healthy outcomes and meet your specific needs.
Drug Therapy
Many patients can be successfully treated for athersclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and high blood pressure with medications. In addition, heart attacks can often be successfully treated with thrombolytic medications given intravenously to dissolve a blood clot causing the heart attack.
Balloon Angioplasty/Stents
If you need emergency angioplasty treatment, SSM Heart Institute operates five 24-hour cardiac catheterization labs across the region. Through angioplasty, cardiologists treat patients with blocked or clogged coronary arteries quickly without surgery. The cardiologist threads a balloon-tipped catheter to the site of a narrowed or blocked artery and then inflates the balloon to open the vessel.
Vascular stenting, which is often performed at the same time as angioplasty, involves placing a small wire mesh tube called a stent in your newly opened artery. The stent is a permanent device that is left in the artery to help keep the artery open.
By choosing an SSM Heart Institute hospital when experiencing heart attack symptoms, you will have chosen a hospital where life-saving “door to balloon” times are better than national averages.
Cardiac Rehabilitation
Cardiac rehabilitation is key to recovery for patients who have had heart problems. SSM Heart Institute offers multi-phase cardiac rehabilitation programs personalized for every patient. The program begins when patients are still in the hospital with exercise and education. Cardiac rehabilitation continues on an outpatient basis where patients follow an exercise program designed just for them. Cardiac rehab provides a foundation for better heart health that can reverse the progression of heart disease and reduce your risk of future heart problems.
Electrophysiology (EP)
SSM Heart Institute has advanced electrophysiology (EP) labs to help physicians treat people with electrical problems of the heart, including atrial fibrillation and other arrhythmias. Using cardiac mapping, electrophysiologists can identify the cause of an irregular heartbeat, and often correct it through a technique called ablation. This procedure corrects electrical conduction problems that cause abnormally fast — and potentially deadly — heart rates.
In addition, electrophysiologists can implant pacemakers for patients who experience a slow heart rate. Those with potentially deadly arrhythmias may require an implanted cardiac defibrillator that delivers a life-saving electrical impulse to return the heart to a normal rhythm.