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Chest Pain and Heart Failure

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We Are Accredited

We earned our accreditation from the American College of Cardiology, meaning we meet or exceed quality of care measures for patients who may be having a heart attack or other cardiac event.

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Make Heart Health a Priority

Take this brief health risk assessment to determine if you're a candidate for advanced heart care or at high risk for stroke or heart attack.

TAKE A HEART HEALTH ASSESSMENT

Cardiac Calcium Scoring

Get to know your heart with a low-cost, quick and painless scan that could help identify heart problems before they happen.

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Chest Pain

As Accredited Chest Pain Centers, Danville and Martinsville's protocol-driven approach to heart care allows us to reduce time-to-treatment during the critical first stages of a heart attack.

Learn about Chest Pain Symptoms.

Heart Failure

If you or someone you care for has been diagnosed with heart failure, we can provide the tools to improve quality of life. Sovah Health has earned Heart Failure Accreditation from the American College of Cardiology at both campuses.

How Your Heart Works

  • The heart is divided into four chambers or sections called the right/left atrium and the right/left ventricle
  • These chambers are separated by valves. Valves allow the blood to move from chamber to chamber without backing up

 What is Heart Failure?

  • Heart Failure is a condition in which the heart muscle has become weaker than normal
  • This usually occurs gradually over a period of time
  • The heart is unable to pump enough blood and oxygen to meet the body's needs
  • When this happens, blood that should be pumped out of the heart backs up in the lungs and other parts of the body. This is why many people with heart failure have shortness of breath or swelling in the extremities. So you may hear heart failure called CHF (congestive heart failure)

 What Are The Major Types of Heart Failure?

  • Systolic heart failure means that your heart is not pumping well due to the heart muscle becoming weak and enlarged
  • Diastolic heart failure means that your heart muscle is stiff and doesn't relax normally during contractions. It cannot fill easily and cannot pump the right amount of blood

Causes of Heart Failure

  • Hypertension (high blood pressure)
  • Coronary artery disease (CAD)
  • Defective heart valves
  • Viral Illness
  • Illicit drugs such as cocaine
  • Alcohol abuse
  • Idiopathic (unknown cause)
  • Congenital defects

Heart failure is generally not curable, however it can be treated effectively and most people will feel better once therapy is started. Correcting problems such as high blood pressure, blocked arteries, and diseased valves will help prevent further damage. Stopping drug use, alcohol use, and/or tobacco use may help to stop the progression of the disease. Therapy is aimed at helping the heart to work more efficiently and with less effort. A combination of medication, diet, and exercise is an effective course of treatment.

Symptoms of Heart Failure

  • Frequent dry hacking cough or frothy sputum
  • Shortness of breath (may be all the time, with activity, or at night when lying down)
  • Difficulty lying flat without extra pillows
  • Feeling restless, tired, weak or chronic lack of energy
  • Swelling in legs, feet, ankles, or stomach
  • Rapid weight gain
  • Decreased appetite
  • Increased urination at night

Quality Heart Care

The national recognition we've earned demonstrates our staff's commitment to providing the highest quality of care including American College of Cardiology Chest Pain Center Accreditation, Heart Failure Accreditation and Cardiac Cath Lab Accreditation with PCI.

 

Want to schedule an appointment with one of our providers? Call 844-467-6824 or visit SovahHealth.com/find-a-doctor.