Heart Disease & Cardiac Care

If you or a loved one have had a heart attack or have an ongoing heart condition, it’s easy to lose sight of the life you love. That's why the cardiology specialists at Bon Secours offer expert care for not only your heart, but for your mind, body and spirit, too. Our cardiologists, nurses, physical therapists, counselors, dietitians and other heart care providers are there for you every step of the way with compassionate care.

If you’ve experienced any symptoms of heart disease, or are worried that you could be at a higher risk of developing heart disease, let us help.

Services We Offer

Preventive Care

Our preventive cardiology team can access your risk of heart disease and work with you to lower your chances of ever getting it. Some of our screenings can include:

• Blood pressure screening
• Body weight and BMI calculations
• Blood tests for glucose and cholesterol levels

We will also look at controllable lifestyle factors, like:

• Alcohol use — excessive drinking can raise your blood pressure, increase your risk of cardiomyopathy, stroke, cancer and other diseases
• Cholesterol — lower LDL cholesterol levels or increase HDL cholesterol levels. Women should have a 50 mg/dl HDL level, and men should have 40 mg/dl. Both men and women should have less than 130 mg/dl of LDL.
• Stress levels — talk to your doctor about stress and anger management
• Diet — what you eat can have an impact on your cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes and obesity
• Exercise — exercising thirty minutes a day can improve your heart health and lower your cholesterol
• Diabetes — diabetes can damage the blood vessels and nerves that control your heart and blood vessels
• Smoking — people who smoke or vape are more than twice as likely to have a heart attack as people who don’t
• Weight loss — losing weight can lower your risk of heart disease

There are risk factors you can’t control. These include:

• Age — men over 45 and women over 55 are at a higher risk
• Gender — men have heart attacks at a younger age and are at a greater risk
• Family history — children of parents with heart disease are more likely to develop the disease themselves

If you have any of these risk factors, schedule an appointment with a Bon Secours doctor to check your risk of heart disease. Our team can help you build a plan for lowering your risk and getting back to living the life you love.

Cardiovascular Nutrition

A healthy diet is one of the best defenses against cardiovascular disease. Simple changes to your routine can create a lifetime of health benefits.

Physical activity – Burning calories can help you lose or maintain your weight. It’s also good for cardiovascular health. Any activity counts, like taking the stairs instead of the elevator or parking your car farther away. Your goal is to burn as many calories as you can.

Better food – Your body needs nutrients. But the food you’re eating may not always have them. Think about what you’re eating and consider adding nutrient-rich foods, such as:

• Fresh, frozen and canned fruits and vegetables
• Low-fat dairy products
• Non-tropical vegetable oils
• Nuts and protein-rich beans
• Skinless chicken and fish that contain omega-3 fatty acids (like salmon and trout)
• Fiber-rich whole grains

Limit high-calorie, low-nutrient foods and beverages, and try to limit saturated fats, trans fats, sodium, red meat, sweets and sugar-sweetened beverages.

Our cardiology nutrition team can work with you to develop a healthy plan for eating and exercise that works for you and your heart.

Non-surgical Cardiology

Interventional cardiology is a non-surgical way to treat narrowed arteries, weak blood vessels or other damaged parts of the heart using catheter-based procedures, including stenting and balloon angioplasty.

Interventional cardiology can be used for three common conditions:

• Coronary artery disease — a narrowing of the arteries which cuts off oxygen and blood supply to the heart
• Peripheral vascular disease — clogged or hardened veins throughout the body begin to affect the heart
• Heart valve disease — affects the way blood flows into the heart’s chambers

These procedures usually involve shorter hospital stays and faster recovery times, as well as less scarring that surgical heart procedures.

Home Blood Pressure Monitoring

High blood pressure can be dangerous. That’s why it’s important to monitor your blood pressure at home. The heart experts at Bon Secours can provide home monitoring equipment, like a blood pressure cuff, and offer ways to help you stay on top of your numbers for better heart health.