Heart Care Services
Ventricular Assist Devices
Some advanced heart failure patients may eventually find that medications and therapies are no longer beneficial. At that point, a ventricular assist device (VAD) may be implanted to help the lower chambers of the heart pump blood to the rest of the body.
Lutheran Hospital is the only hospital in northern Indiana implanting VADs, which are used as a step to recovery, a bridge to heart transplant or as destination therapy for patients who are not transplant candidates. Destination therapy patients are able to live at home and enjoy improved quality of life without constant fatigue and shortness of breath.
Heart Health - Continuity of Care Before and After Procedures
At Lutheran Hospital's Heart Center, our cardiovascular specialists as well as the entire staff of specialized nurses and nutritional counselors offer continuity of care for improved heart and vascular health. Our team is focused on education as a critical component to long term success. Our teaching begins at the first office appointment and the same care team that provides treatment solutions helps patients understand the importance of making important lifestyle changes for a more successful outcome. We provide helpful information about your procedure and offer educational help with:
- Smoking cessation
- Heart healthy nutrition
- Medication management
- Living well with heart disease
Cardiac Care Units
Cardiac and vascular patients are cared for in one of Lutheran Hospital's cardiac care units. Each unit is staffed by extensively trained nurses committed to helping patients every step of the way. These units, and some of conditions treated, are listed below:
Advanced Cardiac Therapy (ACT)
- Heart or heart muscle disease
- Pulmonary edema
- Valve dysfunction or replacements
- Cardiac devices (ICDs, pacemakers)
- Arrhythmias
Patients receiving treatments and those recovering from a heart attack complicated by heart failure are also cared for within the ACT Unit.
Cardiac Telemetry
- Known or potential cardiac arrhythmias
- Preoperative cardiac observation
- Recovery following a cardiac cath
- Clinically stable heart attacks
- Coronary insufficiency
- Medication therapy monitoring (for hypotensive/hypertensive patients)
- Recovery from a pacemaker or AICD insertion
- Cardiac observation
Stabilized patients recovering from cardiovascular surgery or an angioplasty may also be cared for in a cardiac telemetry unit.
Coronary Intensive Care (CIC)
- Cardiac arrest or post-cardiac arrest
- Heart attack
- Chest pain
- Acute coronary syndrome
- Unstable dysrhythmia
- Unstable heart failure
- Heart muscle disease
- Heart block requiring a temporary pacemaker
- Intra-aortic balloon pump
- Pulmonary vein ablation
- AFib or VT ablations
Cardiovascular Intensive Care (CVIC)
- Cardiovascular surgery
- Post-thoracotomy care
- Abdominal aortic stent
- Carotid endarterectomy
- Post-cardiac arrest
- VAD and IABP implantation
- Open heart surgery
- Sternotomy
- Cardiovascular care