Emergency Heart Center & Chest Pain Center
- Northridge Hospital Medical Center is designated as a Blue Distinction Center for Cardiac Care. Blue Distinction is a designation awarded to medical facilities that have demonstrated expertise in delivering quality healthcare.
- Northridge Hospital is recognized as an Emergency Heart Center, and one of the first hospitals officially designated a STEMI Receiving Center (SRC) by the Los Angeles County Emergency Services.
- The CardioVascular Center offers the most advanced Cath Labs, groundbreaking surgical techniques, and a Chest Pain Center.
Blue Distinction Centers for Cardiac Care demonstrate their commitment to quality care, resulting in better overall outcomes for cardiac patients. Northridge Hospital meets evidence-based clinical criteria, developed in collaboration with expert physicians’ and medical organizations, including the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS), and is subject to periodic re-evaluation as criteria continue to evolve.
Helping you maintain a healthy heart and an active lifestyle are top priorities for the physicians and staff of the CardioVascular Center. We provide a full range of comprehensive cardiac care from education and prevention, to rehabilitation and high-tech diagnostic and surgical capabilities.
As one of the first STEMI (Heart Attack) Receiving Centers in Los Angeles County for heart attacks, Northridge Hospital has met the most stringent standards for heart care in the nation. The Emergency Medical Services of LA County developed the standards which ensure the best possible survival from a heart attack through earlier definitive diagnosis and treatment. This protocol is being watched by the nation as the new gold standard in heart care.
We offer patients emerging technologies in interventional capabilities for the treatment of coronary and peripheral vascular disease. And through our clinical research we are able to offer the latest technologies.
Undergoing delicate medical procedures can raise many questions and emotions for patients. We want you to know you are not alone. Our caring staff of trained physicians, nurses, technicians, and counselors can answer your questions and help you feel comfortable with your medical treatment.
Physician Expertise
The success of the CardioVascular Center is due in large part to the world-class cardiologists and cardiac surgeons on the hospital staff. These specialists are highly skilled in the areas of cardiac surgery, interventional catheterization, vascular brachytherapy, electrophysiology, vascular surgery, cardiac rehabilitation, and other diagnostic specialties.
Staff Excellence
The nurses, technicians, dieticians, therapists and social services staff in the Cardiovascular Center are highly skilled in caring for cardiac patients and work hand-in-hand with physicians to ensure you receive the best care possible.
Latest Disgnostic Capabilities
Interventional Cardiology
Electrophysiology measures the function of the heart's electrical conduction system to aid cardiologists in diagnosing conditions such as irregular heartbeats. Our electrophysiology capabilities are among the most sophisticated in the Los Angeles area as we continuously invest in state-of-the-art technology. Patients who are diagnosed with arrhythmia are candidates for the implantable cardioverter defibrillator, a device that can prevent sudden cardiac arrest.
We have state-of-the-art diagnostic capabilities, using the latest technology to heal hearts affected by a variety of cardiac conditions.
Echocardiography
is a non-evasive test that records heart function using sound waves that are used to record images of the heart as it functions.
Nuclear Cardiology
is the controlled injection of nuclear isotopes that can trace inefficiencies in blood flow and heart function.
Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory
in the lab a small plastic tube is inserted into an artery or vein to measure blood pressure and oxygen levels within the vessel. It also provides information on the condition of the heart muscle, valves, and coronary arteries.
Our digital cath lab provides a completely electronic platform allowing images to be instantly retrieved for review and comparison through the advanced electronic image management system. Digital pulsed fluoro technology means less X-ray exposure to the patient, physician and staff, while maintaining image diagnostic quality.
Angioplasty involves the insertion of a tiny, deflated balloon into the troubled artery using a catheter. When the balloon is inflated within the artery, it compresses the plaque (the material causing the blockage) against the wall of the artery, opening the narrowed vessel and improving blood flow.
After performing angioplasty, a small mesh-like tube, called a stent, may be placed inside the newly opened artery to keep the artery open. Stents are now coated with a medication to prevent re-closure of the vessel (drug eluting stent). Vascular brachytherapy is a state-of-the-art procedure designed to reduce the reoccurrence of in-stent restenosis that may occur after bare metal stent placement.
Cardiac Surgery
Surgeons can insert a small electronic device, called an implantable defibrillator, inside the heart that can automatically convert any future life-threatening arrhythmias, or abnormal heart rhythms, as soon as they happen. When surgical treatment is necessary, we are fully equipped with a dedicated cardiothoracic surgical suite to provide the surgical treatment option that is best for you.
In our cardiac surgical suites, we have the new state-of-the-art heart-lung machines provide artificial circulation while the heart is stopped and allow quick specimen processing in the surgical suite while the patient is asleep. This superior system decreases wait time of specimen processing through the laboratory, thus shortening the time the patient is in surgery.
Our cardiologist also practice a more advanced surgical procedure called off pump surgery, which stabilizes a portion of the heart to allow other parts to function normally through surgery. Through the use of a transoesophageal echocardiography, our surgeons are able to take a picture of the heart while still working on it. The image transducer is placed in the throat directly behind the heart.
The new biplane technology produces clearer and more precise images. Our surgeons are now able to clearly evaluate cardiac structure, function, and vascular anatomy during by-pass and valve surgery.
Northridge Hospital also hosts a Cardiac Rehab Support Group for those who wish to talk with others who live with heart disease. This group meets the second Thursday of each month, from noon to 1 p.m. For more information, please call (818) 885-5489.
