At The Heart Of It All: Heart Centers Treat All Medical Conditions Of The Heart
Posted on: 15 December 2014
The very first successful heart transplant occurred in 1967. Today, over three thousand heart transplants are performed in the U.S. every year, and the patients range from infants to age 60. Patients survive much longer now that medical science has developed better anti-rejection drugs. Heart centers do more than just heart transplants too. If you are considering a visit to a heart treatment center but are not aware of all the services they provide, here is a closer look.
Different Types of Heart Disease Addressed
Heart disease comes in many forms. You may have blocked arteries, known as atherosclerosis, or you may have congenital heart failure, which means you were born with a heart that was destined to fail. Rare conditions where patients may only have one ventricle or one atrium in their hearts as well as having their hearts on the outside of their chests or on the opposite side of their pulmonary cavity are all disorders and diseases which cardiac specialists address in these centers.
Treatment Plans and Transplants
When you visit a heart treatment center, a cardiac specialist will review your case. He or she will create a dietary and exercise plan to help you stay as healthy as possible. If needed, and if you have not done so already, your specialist will place you on the national heart transplant list. While you wait for a donor heart, the specialist will prescribe medications to sustain your weakened or malfunctioning heart. Sometimes a pacemaker and pacemaker surgery is necessary to keep your heart going until a donor heart becomes available. The specialist will discuss all of these options with you at your first visit to the center.
Inpatient and Outpatient Care
Some heart centers now connect to healthcare organizations and hospitals outside of their own organization. This leads to continued patient care without you having to travel the distance to the nearest heart center for every appointment or having to stay as an inpatient in the treatment facility so far from home. If this sounds like something you would like to incorporate into your own treatment plan, ask the specialist if it is possible.
Costs and Payment Concerns
Heart transplant surgery, open heart surgery, pacemaker surgery, as well as many other types of cardiac surgery are costly, as you are well aware. If you are a good candidate for any type of heart surgery but you cannot afford it due the restrictions of your current healthcare plan, there are treatment centers that can help. If the heart in question is not yours, but your child's, there are several nationally recognized pediatric charity hospitals which not only provide care and treatment for your child, but also address your special needs as a parent of a sick child. Talk to your local medical center, such as Martin Medical Center, for more information.
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