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Heart Care Heart specialists at the University of Missouri Health Sciences Center provide outstanding cardiac care to the people of mid-Missouri. One of the premier teaching hospitals in the Midwest, University Hospital has a first-rate medical staff and state-of-the-art technology. University physicians were first in mid-Missouri to perform open-heart surgery (1958), first to perform cardiac catheterization (1967), first to offer cardiac ablation and many other innovative forms of therapy. University Hospital is mid-Missouri's only cardiac transplant center. In addition to these important firsts, heart specialists at University Hospital are attentive to the less-dramatic details that mean better patient care. For example, until recently cardiac catheterization patients had to remain immobile for eight hours after a procedure to prevent bleeding from the arterial access point. Now, University Hospital patients are able to walk and move around just two short hours after their catheterization, thanks to a new technique using collagen plugs to seal the artery. This innovative technology makes for a speedier and more comfortable recovery. Cardiologists offer a full range of diagnostic and nonsurgical treatments for heart disease. Some of the more common ones are:
For patients who need heart surgery, University Hospital offers one of the state's most active cardiothoracic referral centers. Surgeons perform more than 1,200 operations each year. These include procedures for pulmonary, esophageal, congenital and acquired cardiac defects; thoracic and vascular trauma; cardiac conduction disorders; and endoscopy. University Hospital offers cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation levels I, II and III to assist patients in their recovery in the hospital and after they return home. The Cardiology Outreach Program makes "hospital calls" with a van of specialized equipment. The medical team includes a cardiologist, a cardiology nurse and one or two technologists. Services available include: holter monitoring and cardiac event monitoring, echocardiography, transesophageal echocardiography, stress testing, cardiopulmonary exercise testing and cardiology consultation. The outreach program has grown from one clinic location in 1991 to more than a dozen today. The youngest patients benefit from Children's Hospital's expertise in the correction of congenital heart defects. Pediatric specialists perform the most delicate microsurgery on tiny neonates, enabling these little patients to live long, productive lives. In 1982, pediatric cardiologist Zuhdi Lababidi performed the world's first aortic valvuloplasty, a procedure to correct aortic valve stenosis in neonates. Today patients come from around the world to be treated by Dr. Lababidi. To schedule an appointment with a University Hospital or Children's Hospital heart specialist, please call (573) 882-7000. Referral Services staff will direct the call to the appropriate clinic. |
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