Heart Smart
Mercy Heart & Vascular Institute offers you a complete program to stabilize atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD). Nearly half of all Americans die from CVD. That's more than all cancer, infection, accident and AIDS deaths combined. CVD patients include the vast majority of patients who suffer from diseases of the coronary arteries (chest pain or heart attack), carotid arteries (stroke) and arteries of the legs (pain with walking and need for amputation). Recent developments in understanding the causes of CVD allow the Heart Smart team and your doctor to help you and your family make adjustments in your daily life to reduce your chances of recurring symptoms and the possibility of stroke, heart attack or even death.
What is Heart Smart?
Heart Smart is a program made up of multi-skilled professionals who will work as a team with your doctor to help you reduce your risk of heart attack, stroke, arterial complications and death. The team consists of experts who will teach you about proper dietary habits, cholesterol disorders, diabetes, exercise, weight management and smoking cessation.
How do I get into Heart Smart?
You can easily be included in the program with your doctor's approval or referral.
How will I benefit from Heart Smart?
The majority of CVD patients have one or more "risk factors" which increase the chance of progressive CVD, recurrent symptoms and possible stroke or heart attack. The most important risk factors are high cholesterol and other blood fats, smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and inactivity. The Heart Smart team will work with you to reduce your specific risk factors.
Who makes up the Heart Smart team?
A cardiac nurse specialist, dietitian, diabetes educator, pharmacist, exercise physiologist and smoking cessation specialist make up the team.
What involvement will my doctor have with Heart Smart?
Your doctor will refer you to Heart Smart. The cardiac nurse specialist will stay in close contact with your doctor as they determine your needs. Your doctor will receive progress reports from Heart Smart team members, who will stay in touch with you by phone on a regular basis. No medication changes will be made without your doctor's input.
What do you mean by regular phone interaction?
Once you have been to the initial class, you will receive phone contact with a team member at regular intervals based on your individual needs. You can expect the calls to monitor your diet and exercise progression, your medication effectiveness and update you on lab results.
What classes do Heart Smart and Mercy Heart & Vascular Institute offer?
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Lipids (cholesterol and other blood fats) and managing CVD - A nurse specialist will teach you and your family about CVD and the importance of lifestyle changes, especially emphasizing diet and medication
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Nutrition and meal planning - A registered dietitian will cover the basics of low-fat diets, weight loss diets and diets for diabetics. The emphasis will be on meal planning and affordable healthy choice shopping
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Medications - A cardiovascular clinical pharmacy specialist will provide information on potential side effects, drug interactions and how to manage multiple drugs
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Exercise - An exercise specialist will give you an individualized prescription for exercise that will allow you to exercise on a regular basis at home or in a fitness center
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Smoking cessation - Classes and individualized counseling will provide you with a variety of tools to help you stop smoking
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CHAMP® (Congestive Heart Active Management Program) - This telephone monitoring/management program follows patients with congestive heart failure
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Anticoagulation - This clinic, run primarily by pharmacists, helps educate patients who are using the blood thinner coumadin
Download information about Mercy Heart & Vascular Institute's Heart Smart program in an easy-to-read format.
How do I contact Heart Smart? Call us at (916) 564-2880.
