Holy Name Press Releases

Holy Name Hospital Accredited Chest Pain Center

May 1, 2006

Not everyone's heart attack starts the same wayespecially for women. But most heart attacks do involve chest discomfort of one kind or another. If you're one of the five million Americans who will visit a hospital for chest pain this year, know this: Holy Name Hospital has been granted the designation of Accredited Chest Pain Center by The Society of Chest Pain Centersgood news for you, since accreditation means the hospital meets or exceeds stringent criteria for heart-related diagnosis, treatment and education.

"This includes a rapid evaluation for all patients who present with chest pain and the ability to offer state-of-the-art angioplasty and stenting of the blocked artery to those who are having an acute heart attack," says Adam Deutsch, M.D., chief of cardiology. "Being able to bring this level of care to patients and this formal accreditation of Holy Name Hospital demonstrates our commitment to the health of Bergen County residents."

According to Dr. Deutsch, women face special challenges recognizing and reacting to potential heart attack symptoms. "In fact," he notes, "women are less likely than men to believe they are having a heart attack and more likely to delay a trip to the Emergency Room." It's imperative that you seek emergency care if you experience any of the following:

• Discomfort, pain, pressure, or a feeling of fullness or squeezing in the chest
• Discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach
• Shortness of breath, nausea, lightheadedness, or a cold sweat

Rated five stars by the Internet health care benchmarking group HealthGrades two years in a row, Holy Name Hospital's comprehensive cardiovascular program provides a full range of diagnostic, treatment, and prevention services. The Department recently received approval from the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services to perform primary angioplasty, augmenting services it currently offers to cardiac patients. Holy Name is also the first hospital in New Jersey to perform Cardiac PET stress testing, which utilizes revolutionary PET technology (positron emission tomography) to determine the presence and extent of heart disease.

The goal of the Department of Cardiology at Holy Name Hospital is to provide services along a continuum of wellness, so that every patient's care is streamlined and flows smoothly through each stage of his/her illness. The multidisciplinary cardiac team comprises experts in all aspects of cardiovascular disease and its management. The team includes board-certified cardiologists and interventional cardiologists, registered nurses, exercise physiologists, registered and certified diagnostic technologists and technicians, rehabilitation specialists, and a specially trained support staff.

Patients experiencing acute pain, pressure, or tightness in their chests are urged to go to Holy Name Hospital's Emergency Department. Patients are evaluated right away by board-certified emergency medicine physicians and cardiac certified emergency nurses. Cardiologists are on call around the clock if needed. Patients who must be hospitalized are admitted to the hospital's 19-bed intensive care unit or 40-bed telemetry unit.