We work directly and in cooperation with, your physician to help you maintain a therapeutic Coumadin level.

Our trained, licensed pharmacists and trained, registered rurses perform your Coumadin lab draws and give you immediate results informing you of any therapeutic changes to your Coumadin Therapy.

Our Coumadin Clinics are the first in the western slope valley to be affiliated with a Heart and Vascular Center.

The Heart and Vascular Coumadin Clinic, (the first in the valley) provides a new finger-stick method of blood analysis. This test, which is performed in the Heart & Vascular Clinic, eliminates the need for painful blood draws and ensures that accurate results are available within two minutes.

The patient will visit with a trained, licensed pharmacist or a trained registered rnurse (R.N.), each time. Any adjustment to the medication dosage will be made immediately, in consultation with a physician if necessary, and the patient will go home with an accurate therapeutic analysis.

Learn more about our Anticoagulation Clinic

A simple, non-invasive test done to assess for peripheral artery disease, a condition in which the arteries in your legs and ankles are narrowed.

People who have peripheral artery disease may have symptoms such as pain or cramping of the leg muscles at rest or with exertion. 

During the ankle-brachial index test you will lie on an exam table and a series of blood pressure cuffs will be placed on your arms and legs.  The blood pressure in your arms will be compared to those in your legs.  If the pressure in the legs is significantly lower than that in the arms, this can indicate a narrowing or blockage in the arteries of the lower extremities.

The Pacemaker Clinic at the Valley View Hospital Heart & Vascular Clinic puts the finishing touches on an already “highly regarded” cardiac program.

The Pacemaker Clinic is a full-service follow-up clinic with the ability to serve patients with a state-of-the-art computerized database and multiple programmers to check all types of pacemakers.  

This Pacemaker Clinic provides a complete pacemaker and/or defibrillator analysis for patients with implanted cardiac devices.  We have the ability to assess appropriate function, test generator and lead integrity, extract diagnostic information, assess battery status, and determine elective replacement time. 

Any changes that are necessary in the way your particular pacemaker or defibrillator operates can be programmed into your device at that time

We offer expert support for your Precision Products from the world's leaders in devices, including:

• •St Jude Medical
• •Boston Scientific/Guidant
• •Biotronik

Test done to evaluate patients who have experienced syncope (fainting).

During a tilt table test, you will be strapped to a table that will then be put in an upright position.  You will stay in this position, motionless, for 20-30 minutes. Throughout the procedure, your electrocardiogram, blood pressure, and heart rate will be monitored. 

Normally, when a person stands for prolonged periods of time or when they change positions (sitting to standing) the cardiovascular system adjusts to prevent blood from pooling in the legs and to ensure adequate blood supply to the brain. 

Fainting or experiencing severe lightheadedness during the test is considered to be a “positive” tilt table response.  A positive test typically indicates vasovagal syncope, which is the most common cause of fainting.

This procedure involves the completion of an echocardiogram before and after exercise or pharmacologic stress.  In addition to assessing cardiac function, a stress echocardiogram can also provide information about the heart valves.

Transthoracic or Transesophageal 2D Echocardiogram (TEE): A test which uses sound waves (ultrasound) to create real-time images of heart’s size, shape, movement and blood flow.  This test is used to evaluate the structure and function of the heart muscle, valves, and pericardium.  It is useful in assessing congenital heart disease, valvular and pericardial abnormalities, cardiac masses, pulmonary disease, heart failure, coronary artery disease, and in the evaluation of myocardial infarction. 

Transthoracic Echocardiogram: The technician will apply a special gel to the left side of your chest and use an ultrasound transducer to capture the images of your heart.  This is a non-invasive procedure.  In some cases an IV will be started if your provider is concerned about congenital heart disease and “communication” between the right and left sides of the heart. 

Transesophageal Echocardiogram: During this procedure, the cardiologist will insert a small ultrasound transducer into your esophagus to the level of the heart.  A transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) typically provides clearer images of the heart than a transthoracic echocardiogram.  This is because there are fewer structures between the esophagus and the heart than are between the chest wall and the heart.  Therefore there is less air, bone, and fat for the sound waves to travel through, thus the heart is seen in greater detail.  You will be given a “numbing” liquid to gargle to numb the back of your mouth and throat.  In addition, you will be given sedating medications through an IV. 

Procedure where a synchronized electrical shock is delivered to the heart to convert an abnormal rhythm back to a normal rhythm. 

The term “synchronized,” means that it is perfectly timed with the heart to deliver electrical current and “shock” the heart muscle.  This shock interrupts the abnormal electrical circuit(s) in the heart to allow the cells to reset back to a normal rhythm.  The shock is delivered via two special pads, which will be placed on your chest and back. 

You will be given a sedating medication through an IV so that there is minimal or no pain associated with this procedure. 

Elective or non-emergent cardioversions can be done for such abnormal rhythms as atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter. 

An electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) measures the electrical activity of your heart. The heart generates electrical signal which flows out from your heart through your body. Small electrical sensors called electrodes that are put on your skin can sense the electricity that began in your heart. The electrical activity is then turned into a graph. This can give doctors an idea of whether your heart is beating normally. For further details view PDF

A continuous recording of your heart rhythm that is similar to an electrocardiogram (EKG/ECG). 

Typically, the holter monitor is worn for 24 or 48 hours.  It is worn during normal daily acitivities, and assesses the correlation between symptoms (palpitations, rapid heart rate, dizziness, or black outs) and underlying abnormalities in the heart rate or rhythm.

Similar to a holter monitor except that it is worn for 30 days. 

This diagnostic tool is extremely useful if your symptoms occur infrequently and are not likely to occur during a 48-hour period.

This is a blood pressure monitor that is worn continuously for 24 hours. 

Blood pressure is measured every 30 minutes from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. and once an hour from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. 

This test is used to assess for elevated blood pressure or to evaluate the efficacy of blood pressure medications. 

A treadmill or pharmacologic stress test may be done in conjunction with nuclear imaging to increase the sensitivity and diagnostic capability of the stress test. 

This procedure gives additional information regarding the flow of blood to the heart muscle by providing images of your heart both before and after stress. 

The “nuclear” part of the test refers to the injection of a tracer into your bloodstream via an IV.  The tracer contains a low level of radiation, similar to the amount used in a common x-ray.  A special camera, gamma camera, detects the radiation and creates images of your heart. 

You will have two sets of images done on the gamma camera.  The first is prior to stress, when you are at rest.  These “rest images” give baseline information regarding the blood flow to the heart.  During the stress portion of the test, you will receive a second dose of tracer.  Your second set of pictures are the “stress images.”  These provide information about blockages which may be impeding the blood flow to the heart when the heart is under stress. 

EECP is Non-invasive therapy for patients with chronic, stable angina that is not responsive to standard treatments.  EECP may help stimulate the development of collaterals (small branches off existing arteries), which create natural bypasses to improve blood flow to areas of the heart muscle where flow is limited. 

To achieve this, a series of inflatable cuffs are wrapped around your calves, lower thighs, and upper thighs.  Your heart rhythm is monitored by electrocardiogram (ECG).  A computer uses the information from the ECG to synchronize inflation and deflation of the cuffs with the cardiac cycle.  

The cuffs inflate when the heart is relaxing.  This is when arteries that supply the heart muscle are filling.  When the heart beats, the cuffs rapidly deflate thus lowering the vascular resistance and workload on the heart.   The repetitive cycle of precisely timed inflation and deflation can promote the development of collaterals.   Treatment is typically 35 sessions over the course of seven weeks with each session lasting for 1-2 hours. 

A non-invasive test that evaluates the level of blood oxygen saturation over a 24-hour period. 

A small probe is worn on a finger and is connected to a device that looks similar to a watch.  This device records your oxygen saturation and heart rate for the duration of the study. 

A 24-hour pulse oxygenation study can be used to investigate for the presence of sleep apnea, or decreased oxygen levels at rest or during exertion.