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Heart & Vascular
Also known as Cardiology
Advanced cardiovascular care
Appointments
Heart and Vascular Care at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital–Plymouth
We've designed Heart and Vascular care at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital–Plymouth to provide you with access to state-of-the-art cardiac services available today. If you come to the BID Plymouth Emergency Department with a heart problem, you'll have direct, customized access to a variety of advanced treatments.
Collaborative Partnership with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Your cardiologist (heart doctor) can provide most types of cardiac care right here at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital–Plymouth. However, we actively communicate with cardiovascular specialist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) to ensure you receive the best care possible for your condition.
If you need more advanced procedures only available at BIDMC, our hospitals will coordinate transport — including the use of a helicopter, if necessary — to rapidly and seamlessly deliver you to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. BIDMC continues to support and develop cardiac services at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital–Plymouth to ensure the best, most advanced care is available in the Plymouth area.
Comprehensive Anticoagulation Treatment
Our Anticoagulation Clinic provides anticoagulation therapy as well as these services:
- Anticoagulation therapy patient education
- Comfortable fingerstick blood draws
- Immediate test results
- Immediate Warfarin dosing adjustment according to test results
- Physician supervision
- Visit scheduling
- Written Warfarin dosing schedule
Your referring doctor will continue to monitor your treatment. Registered nurses who specialize in anticoagulation education will partner with your physician to manage your anticoagulation.
Non-Invasive Cardiac Treatments
At BID Plymouth, our experts use non-invasive cardiac procedures to evaluate those with cardiac risk factors. We take a closer look at internal heart structures to determine how the heart tolerates exercise.
About Cardiac Stress Tests
We use two different types of cardiac stress tests to:
- Evaluate the cause of your chest pain or shortness of breath.
- Measure how your heart tolerates exercise (stress).
- Measure the strength and blood flow in your heart after a heart attack.
- Measure the strength and blood flow in your heart if you have one or more cardiac risk factors:
- Family history of heart disease
- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
- High cholesterol
Nuclear Pharmacological Cardiac Stress Tests
About the Test
The goal of a pharmacological nuclear stress test is to simulate exercise to raise your heart rate and stress the heart. Instead of using a treadmill, a specialist injects a medication into your body that causes some blood vessels in the heart to open (dilate) just as they would if you were exercising.
Your specialist then uses a radioactive tracer to take special images of your heart. These images reveal what happens inside your heart when it’s stressed during exercise, and what happens when your body is at rest.
Your specialist then uses a radioactive tracer to take special images of your heart. These images reveal what happens inside your heart when it’s stressed during exercise, and what happens when your body is at rest.
Preparing for the Test
Part One: Stress Portion
- Do not eat or drink for four hours before the test.
- Avoid caffeine (or caffeinated beverages) for 24 hours prior to the test.
- Bring a list of your current medications.
- Your testing team may ask you to not take some of your medications. It is important to check with your doctor to determine which medications are ok to take before the test.
Part Two: Rest Portion
You may eat, drink and take your medicine before the resting portion of the test unless your doctor has told you otherwise. Wear comfortable clothes, since you'll be lying on a table while the testing team captures the images.
During the Test
Part One: Rest Portion
When you arrive in the Radiology department, a member of your care team will place an intravenous (IV) line in your arm and inject the nuclear tracer. After 45 minutes, the team will take a set of images. (They will compare these to the images they take during the second part of testing.) This portion of the test takes about 1.5 hours.
Part Two: Stress Portion
A cardiac registered nurse (RN) and cardiologist are present during the test. The IV line remains in your arm. A member of your testing team places small adhesive pads on your upper body to monitor your heart rate and activity during the test. Your care team continually monitors your blood pressure, heart rate and electrocardiogram (EKG) before, during and after the test. This test does not involve a treadmill; you will remain on a stretcher for this part of the test.
A member of the testing team administers a medication through the IV line that simulates exercise in your heart. Then, they inject the nuclear tracer through your IV. After they inject the tracer, you'll have a 45-minute break during which you may eat and drink in the cafeteria. You'll be given a specific time to arrive back for your imaging. The imaging takes about 20 minutes.
One Day Protocol:
The entire test takes about four hours when we perform resting and stress imaging.
Nuclear Exercise Cardiac Stress Test
About the Test
The goal of an exercise nuclear stress test is to simulate exercise and raise your heart rate. Your testing team administers a radiotracer when you're engaged in strenuous exercise. Then, they capture imaging to understand blood flow to the heart during stress.
Preparing for the Test
Part One: Stress Portion
- Do not eat or drink for four hours before the test.
- Avoid caffeine (or caffeinated beverages) for 24 hours prior to the test.
- Bring a list of your current medications.
Your doctor may ask that you avoid taking some of your usual medications. It's important to check with your doctor to know which medications are ok to take before the test.
Part Two: Rest Portion
You may eat, drink and take your medicine before the resting portion of the test unless your doctor has told you otherwise. Wear comfortable clothes, since you’ll be lying on a table while the testing team captures the images.
During the Test
Part One: Rest Portion
When you arrive in the Radiology department, a member of the testing team will place an IV line in your arm and then administer the nuclear tracer. After 45 minutes, your testing team will take a set of images. (They will compare these to the images they take in the second part of testing.) This portion of the test takes about one-and-a-half hours.
Part Two: Stress Portion
A cardiac RN and cardiologist are present during the test. The IV line remains in your arm. A member of your testing team places small adhesive pads on your upper body to monitor your heart rate and activity during the test. Your testing team continually monitors your blood pressure, heart rate and EKG before, during and after the test. This test doesn’t involve a treadmill — you’ll remain on a stretcher for this part of the test.
A member of your testing team inserts a medication through the IV line that simulates exercise in your heart. Then, they inject the nuclear tracer through your IV. After this, you’ll have a 45-minute break during which you may eat and drink in the cafeteria. Your care team will give you a specific time to arrive back for your imaging. The imaging takes about 20 minutes.
One Day Protocol:
The entire test takes about four hours to complete.
Conditions We Treat
Heart & Vascular specialists at BID Plymouth collaborate with specialists at BIDMC to provide you with the latest in effective treatment options for all cardiovascular conditions, including:
- Angina
- Arrythmia
- Cardiac arrest
- Congenital heart conditions
- Congestive heart failure
- Coronary artery disease
- Heart attack
- Heart failure
- High blood pressure
- Peripheral artery disease
- Stroke
- Valve disease
Services & Specialties
When needed, your vascular or heart specialist will work with other subspecialty providers at BID Plymouth to ensure you have the care you need to feel your very best.
More About Heart & Vascular
Cardiac Catheterization
The expert testing team in the cardiac cath lab at BID Plymouth provides diagnosis and monitoring for blood clots, heart failure, heart valve disease and more.
Cardiac Rehabilitation
The Cardiac Rehabilitation team at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital–Plymouth can help you improve your health after a heart attack, after bypass surgery or with other heart conditions.
Electrophysiology
Electrophysiology at BID Plymouth provides care for conditions affecting the electrical signals in the heart, such as cardiomyopathy and CHF.
Vascular Care
The Vascular team at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital–Plymouth provides speedy diagnosis and effective treatments for peripheral artery disease, pulmonary embolism, carotid artery disease and more.
Meet the Vascular Team
BID Plymouth has assembled a team of experienced and caring cardiovascular experts to provide you with comprehensive care.
