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Visit gethealthy.centegra.org.
Cath lab teams
offer experience
A minimally invasive procedure called
cardiac catheterization is often the best
option to diagnose and treat many heart
conditions.
The team at the Centegra Cardiac
Catheterization Lab is the most
experienced in McHenry County at
cardiac catheterization. They perform
more than 1,200 of these specialized
procedures each year in three state-of-
the-art labs in McHenry County.
Catheterization involves inserting
a long, thin tube—a catheter—into a
blood vessel and carefully threading
it to the heart. Once it is in place, the
doctor can perform a variety of tests and
procedures, including:
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Angiography: This test uses a special
dye to make the heart’s arteries clearly
visible on X-rays. This can help your
doctor diagnose heart disease or
other problems.
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Angioplasty: The catheter is used to
position a tiny balloon in a narrowed
or blocked blood vessel. The
balloon is inflated to open the artery.
Sometimes, a small mesh tube—a
stent—is left in place to support the
artery.
Although many types of heart
problems can be addressed with
catheterization, some patients will still
need surgery, says Jamie Hursey, RN,
CNOR, manager for cardiac diagnostic,
invasive cardiac and robotic services at
Centegra Health System.
“For the patients who have severe
disease beyond what can be corrected
with catheterization, we have a great
open heart surgery team,” he says.
number of national organizations. They
include:
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The Platinum Performance Achievement
Award from the National Cardiovascular
Data Registry. Centegra Hospital–
McHenry is one of about 200 hospitals
nationwide to receive this award. It is
based on best-practice guidelines set by
the American College of Cardiology and
the American Heart Association.
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Blue Distinction Center+ designation
from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of
Illinois. Centegra is one of the first
hospitals in the nation to receive the
award, given for comprehensive cardiac
care. “We must demonstrate success in
meeting objective measures of patient
outcomes set by Blue Cross, including
quality, safety and cost efficiency,” Hursey
says. Centegra Hospital–McHenry is
the only hospital in a more-than-20-mile
radius to receive this award.
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Mission: Lifeline Bronze Award from
the American Heart Association, which
evaluates Centegra’s standard of care
for heart attack patients. The bronze is
awarded to top-performing hospitals
after the first 90 days of participation.
After one year of participation, qualifying
hospitals are awarded silver and after
two years, gold.
Additionally, members of the medical
staff have gone on to earn advanced
specialty certifications. In the cath-
eterization lab, for instance, many have
obtained Registered Cardiovascular
Invasive Specialist (RCIS) qualification.
In the surgical suites, many have earned
Certified Nurse, Operating Room (CNOR)
designation.
STAYING HEALTHY
Of course, despite the availability of all
the lifesaving expertise at Centegra Health
System, it’s wise to do your best to avoid
heart problems in the first place.
“As a nurse, I would encourage people to
not smoke, to watch their diet, to exercise
and to do what they can to prevent heart
disease,” Hursey says. “But if they need us,
we’re here for them.”
Be an eyewitness! To view
Centegra’s 1,000th open heart surgery
online, go to
centegra.org/heartsurgery
.
