Advance non-invasive cardiology imaging technologies such as ultrasound and nuclear tracer imaging have dramatically improved early detection and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Patients who are at risk for heart disease either because of genetics or lifestyle choices are especially well-served by the enhance capabilities offered by the technology available today. Non-invasive cardiology techniques are typically safe and painless, and allow you to resume normal activities almost immediately.
We are committed to performing high quality, cost effective diagnostic evaluations for inpatients and outpatients. It offers innovative services and equipments to provide advanced non-invasive methods and technologies to diagnose heart disease. Excellence is achieved through the education and technical skill of the professional/ technical staff performing the studies, well- maintained state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment, and the commitment on the part of all staff to meeting the needs of our customers- patient and their families, physicians, and interrelated medical departments.
Our board certified cardiologists and nationally accredited technologists will immediately and accurately diagnose your condition so you can move ahead to treatment.
Our Echocardiography Laboratory is accredited by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission of Echocardiography. Accreditation is granted only to those facilities that are found to be providing quality patient care. Patients can rest assured that accredited facilities have been carefully critiqued on all aspects of their operations. Patients can rely on accreditation as an indication that the facility where their examination will be performed has proven a commitment to providing quality testing for the diagnosis of heart disease.
The Cardiovascular Laboratory Department works closely with cardiologists to provide a full range of diagnostic studies on the heart. These studies are extremely valuable in evaluating and diagnosing a wide variety of heart conditions or in planning the appropriate courses of treatments for those conditions. We provide a broad range of non-invasive cardiology studies, including:
Stress Test: A cardiac stress test is an EKG done when you are at rest and when your heart is “stressed” or working hard. The test can show how your heart responds to increased workload, including how much work your heart can safely do after you have had a heart attack or heart surgery. The test may involve walking on a treadmill or medications (pharmacological stress test) to increase your heart rate. If your doctor wants pictures of your heart as well as an EKG, he or she may order a nuclear stress test.
Exercise Stress Testing/Treadmill Stress Test: A test that assists in identifying electrocardiographic (EKG) changes during exercise, such as walking on a treadmill. We will monitor your blood pressure and EKG while you walk on a treadmill. As the treadmill speed increases, you will have to walk faster, and your heart will work harder. Try to go as long as possible on the treadmill. Your best effort will give your doctor the most accurate information.
Pharmacological (Drug-Induced) Stress Tests: This test is for patients who are not able to walk on a treadmill. Like a treadmill test, it will evaluate your heart’s responses to stress, but in this case, medication rather than physical exercise stresses the heart.
Nuclear Stress Testing: An exercise stress testing that uses radionuclide material to measure how the heart functions while walking on a treadmill. Medications can be used to stimulate the exercise for patients who are unable to walk on the treadmill. In addition to measuring your heart’s electrical activity during stress, a nuclear study provides pictures of yourheart. This nuclear study has two parts: a scan of your heart at rest and a scan of your heart under stress. This information will help us determine if any of the coronary arteries are blocked. To take the scan, we will give you a small amount of weak radioactive isotope thorugh your IV. On a scan, it will show which areas of your heart muscle are receiving blood.
Exercise Stress Echocardiogram: A stress echocardiogram is an integration of ultrasound imaging and the exercise stress testing.
Transthoracic Echocardiogram: The echocardiogram uses ultrasound to create video pictures of the heart’s chambers, valves, and wall motion and blood flow patterns. This test can be done while you are at rest or during a stress test (stress test echocardiogram). It is useful in diagnosing and evaluating several types of heart disease, as well as evaluating the effectiveness of the treatments. Transthoracic echocardiogram is the standard approach to do an echocardiogram.
Transesophageal echocardiogram: A different approach to an echocardiogram where a specially designed probe is introduced into the esophagus to obtain very clear images of the heart. It is the preferred imaging method when transthoracic echocardiogram views are suboptimal or when structures cannot be seen with a transthoracic echocardiogram and must be examined. Like a routine echocardiogram, TEE uses ultrasound to create images, however, are clearer because they are taken with a scope from inside your body. Your doctor may order a TEE if the routine echocardiogram cannot answer all of the questions about your heart’s structure and function. TEE involves passing a special ultrasound scope through your mouth into your food pipe (esophagus) to take pictures.
Holter monitoring: A Holter monitor uses a portable heart rhythm recorder worn for 1-2 days. Holter monitoring gives doctors a constant reading of your heart rate and rhythm over a 24-hour period (or longer). It constantly monitors a person’s heart and records the heart rhythms for later analysis by the physician. The patient is instructed to keep an activity log where he can write notes when symptoms occur.
Electrocardiogram (EKG/ECG): An EKG/ECG is a painless test that uses electrodes placed on the skin to record the heart’s electrical activity. The test provides information about the heart rhythm and damage to the heart muscle.
Tilt Table Test: If you have sudden or frequent fainting spells (syncope), your doctor may order a Tilt-Table Test. During this test, we will monitor your heart rate and blood pressure as you lie flat on a table. Then we will tilt the table upward, so that you are almost in a standing position. The changes in your heart rate and blood pressure as you change position can show whether it is a heart rhythm problem that is causing you to faint.
Contact Information:
Location:
5th floor, Main building
30 Prospect Avenue
Hackensack, NJ 07601
Phone:
To schedule an appoinment, call Central Scheduling Department at 1-866-4114862
For assistance with scheduling an appointment and other inquiries, call (201) 996-2428
Hours of Operation:
Mon-Fri- 7:00AM-9:00PM; on-call hours from 9PM-7AM
Sat-Sun & holidays-7:00AM-4:30PM; on-call hours from 4:30PM- 7AM
The Pacemaker Center
Pacemaker is a device that is implanted underneath the skin with leads attached to the heart muscle to regulate the heart’s rhythm. You will need to visit the Pacemaker Center periodically throughout the year to ensure your device is working properly.
HUMC Pacemaker Center provides lifetime monitoring and support for patients who have received an implantable pacemaker or ICD. Cardiac devices have become extremely technologically multifaceted. Regular monitoring of these devices can offer much useful clinical information to improve the patient’s quality of life.
HUMC Pacemaker Center consists of registered nurses and cardiac telemetry technicians who have received specialized and intensive training in the operation and programming of both ICDs and pacemakers.
Every six months or less, your pacemaker will be thoroughly assessed or “interrogated” using an external programmer in the clinic by a nurse. This will evaluate many aspects of the pacemaker, including battery life, lead function, the occurrence of arrhythmias during the previous months, and determination of the elective replacement time. With the collaboration of your cardiologist, the staff can modify the settings to provide optimal functioning for all aspects of the patient’s daily activities. Any changes that are necessary can be programmed into your device at that time.
In addition to pacemaker clinic evaluation, telephone monitoring (TTM) is a convenient procedure of transmitting EKG tracings via a telephonic transmitter without leaving your home. TTM is done monthly or every other month and allow for a review of pacemaker function. TTM monitoring detects battery failures and thereby prolongs useful life of the implanted cardiac device.
The center works closely with cardiologists and electrophysiologists to provide patients with optimal programming from their devices for both longevity and quality of life.
Contact Information:
Location:
Suite 200, 2nd floor, Mediplex building
20 Prospect Avenue
Hackensack, NJ 07601
Phone:
For assistance with scheduling an appointment and other inquiries, call (201) 996-2689
Hours of Operation:
Mon-Fri- 7:00AM-5:00PM
The Cardiac Prevention and Rehabilitation Department
Are mission is to reduce morbidity, mortality, and disability from cardiovascular disease through education, prevention, rehabilitation, research, and aggressive risk-factor management.
Promotion of heart healthy lifestyle for each patient/family is our primary goal. Our multidisciplinary team works to increase daily physical activity and exercise safety, create healthier eating plans, quit smoking, improve emotional helath, improve diabetes and blood pressure control all with individualized patient care and education.
Particiaption in cardiac rehabilitation has been shown to decrease mortality 20%, cardiac morbidity 25% and incease physical strength and endurance 30%. A recent article studying patients who had undergone coronary angioplasty showed a decreased death rate of 45% for those patients who had participated in cardiac rehabilitation.
Patients universally appreciate their time spent at cardiac rehabilitation with 98.5% of patients in a Press Ganey survey indicating that they would be likely to recommend the HUMC Cardiac Prevention and Rehabilitation Program to other patients. The HUMC program has been a regional and national leader in cardiac rehabilitation, participating in NIH research and consistently at the forefront of clinical instruction and effectiveness.
HUMC Cardiac Prevention and Rehabilitation Center is certified by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation. To learn more about the benefits of cardiac rehabilitation and to find a certified center near you click the following links:www.aacvpr.org http://cardiosmart.org/HeartDisease/CTT.aspx?id=340
Risk Factor Reduction Workshops
Educational and hands-on workshops are offered to support behavior changes. Programs are taught by staff registered nurses, exercise physiologists and registered dietician. A sampling of our class offerings:
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Nutrition
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Motivational Class for Heart Healthy Diet
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Diabetes Education
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Lifestyle/Stress Management
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Using Exercise to Manage Risk Factors
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Cardiac Yoga®
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Medication Management
Contact Information:
Location:
Suite 200, 2nd floor, Mediplex building
20 Prospect Avenue
Hackensack, NJ 07601
Phone:
For assistance with scheduling an appointment and other inquiries, call (201) 996-3589
Hours of Operation:
Mon-Weds-Fri- 6:00AM-6:30PM
Tues and Thurs= 6:00AM-5:00PM
FAQ’s
Will my insurance cover the program?
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Most insurance plans have a cardiac rehabilitation benefit. Depending on plan coverage there may be a co-payment or co-insurance responsibility.
What heart problems benefit from cardiac rehabilitation?
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Many heart problems are improved by cardiac rehabilitation. The most common diagnoses include heart attack, balloon angioplasty or stent, bypass surgery, valve surgery, heart transplant, and stable angina. However, your insurance may cover additional diagnoses including congestive heart failure- please call us to see if you would benefit.
How long does the program last?
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The program usually lasts 8-12 weeks depending on insurance benefit and individual need. Each visit is one hour.
What are the days/hours?
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Initial evaluations and pre-training exercise visits are Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6am to 4pm.
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Exercise training visits are Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 6am – 5:15pm
Do you provide transportation?
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Transportation services are not provided. However, many communities offer medical transportation services. Please check with your community or ask rehab center staff for contact information.
What if I have difficulty walking or other physical limitation?
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Your exercise program is designed specifically for you. The cardiac rehab staff can develop a modified exercise program for all types of limitations. We have exercise equipment that can accommodate those who cannot walk or have other problems.
What should I wear?
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No special clothing is required. Loose-fitting clothes with good rubber-soled shoes are best.
Do I have to pay for parking?
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Parking in the Main Garage is complimentary. Please obtain a parking voucher for each visit.
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Patients with handicap stickers may use the valet without charge.
What happens if I travel or have to miss a session?
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Depending on your insurance benefit, rehab sessions may be limited to a specific number of weeks, so a missed visit can not always be rescheduled- however, Medicare allows participants to complete all sessions.
What happens after rehab?
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The goal of rehab is to progress you to independent exercise, either in a gym or home exercise. Cardiac Rehab staff will be working with you to design a program that fits your lifestyle.
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Hackensack University Medical Center has a Fitness Club that you can join to continue medically supervised exercise.
Is my doctor informed about my rehab sessions?
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Your doctor will be updated on your progress.
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A summary report is sent to your doctor upon completion of the program.