Comprehensive Care for Patients with Heart Failure

From diagnosis to treatment, the AMITA Health Heart & Vascular Institute offers a range of services and compassionate care for patients at every stage of heart failure (HF).

For those patients with suspected but undiagnosed HF, the AMITA Health Heart & Vascular Institute is a recognized regional referral center for advanced imaging for HF diagnosis and assessment of causal factors. Newly diagnosed patients can then be immediately routed to specialists at the AMITA Health Heart & Vascular Institute for appropriate medical treatment or interventions to address underlying conditions, such as coronary artery disease and valvular disease.

For patients with chronic HF, the AMITA Health Heart & Vascular Institute provides care for patients across the continuum of the disease, bringing together specialists who can offer patients treatment options — including medical therapy and surgery — as well as social and emotional support. One of these treatment options is a ventricular assist device (VAD). As part of our Heart & Vascular Institute, the AMITA Health Heart Function Program offers the latest in VAD implant expertise and technology. Whether used as a bridge therapy to heart transplant or as a therapy in and of itself, VADs dramatically improve patient survival rate during the first year, as well as overall quality of life after recovery. Should a heart transplant be necessary, the AMITA Health Heart & Vascular Institute maintains a close relationship with organ transplant centers throughout Illinois.

Patients with HF can expect to receive comprehensive and holistic care at the AMITA Health Heart & Vascular Institute that goes beyond medical or surgical treatment, and recognizes the value of providing consistent educational and psychosocial support for both patients and their family members. Communication between all stakeholders — the care team, patients, family and the referring physician — is critical, and the entire AMITA Health Heart & Vascular Institute team actively engages referring physicians in open and ongoing dialogue through personal phone calls and secure texts. Nurse navigators connect patients and families to the HF care team, both at the AMITA Health Heart & Vascular Institute and across care settings, to ensure coordination of services and medications and to provide patient and family education and self-care instructions.

The transition of care for patients with HF can be a particularly confusing and difficult time and is taken very seriously at the AMITA Health Heart & Vascular Institute — nurse navigators provide oversight as patients move from the hospital to the outpatient HF clinic or skilled nursing facility. They maintain direct lines of communication with the nurses and mid-level providers who will provide patients and their families with further education as patients move to the next level of care. Because consistent follow-up is essential for ensuring the best outcomes for patients with HF, the AMITA Health Heart & Vascular Institute nurses also offer on-site visits for patients who have transitioned from the AMITA Health Heart & Vascular Institute to cardiac rehabilitation, community-based care, or skilled nursing facilities.

Comprehensive Care for Patients with Heart Failure

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