Services Offered at Our Device Clinic
South Denver Cardiology Associates is dedicated to delivering the most advanced heart care possible. A big part of advanced cardiology is the devices that can help us understand, monitor, and improve the function of your heart. When properly used, cardiology devices can not only extend your life, but also improve your quality of life. That’s the job of our Device Clinic: helping you get the most benefits from your cardiac devices.
At South Denver Cardiology, we utilize a diverse array of cardiac devices, such as pacemakers, implanted cardiac defibrillators, implantable heart monitors. These devices are complicated, but with a little education, maintenance and monitoring of them can be simple. The Device Clinic will introduce you to your device, answer any questions you may have, and teach you how to get the most out of it. Although you may need to contact the manufacturer for some technical assistance, the Device Clinic offers a more personal approach to service that’s focused on you, not your device.
What Are Cardiac Devices?
Cardiac devices are devices that either monitor or alter the function of your heart. These devices are often implanted into your chest so that they can access your heart, are protected, and can go with you everywhere, performing their function for your benefit.
Some of the types of implanted devices we use at South Denver Cardiology include:
- Pacemakers
- Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD)
- Implanted cardiac monitors (also known as loop recorders)
- Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) devices
Your doctor will explain what device is appropriate in your situation, but there are explanations below to help you understand the basics.
Pacemakers
The heart needs to maintain a rhythmic beat to constantly distribute vital blood throughout the body. However, as we age or the heart suffers some types of injury, it can lose its ability to maintain a healthy rhythm. A pacemaker is a small device that applies rhythmic electrical shocks to supplement the shocks the heart provides itself. These rhythmic shocks keep the heart beating at a healthy rate.
Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (ICD)
ICDs also support healthy heart rhythm. They can monitor the beating of the heart, and if the rhythm is irregular, they will apply an electric shock to restore the heart rhythm. It can even help correct a too-fast rhythm. However, ICDs can also prevent the risk of sudden cardiac death by restarting your heart if it stops.
Implantable Cardiac Monitors
Often called loop recorders, these devices record information about your heart’s function and communicate it to your doctor.
Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy
Also called a biventricular pacemaker, cardiac resynchronization therapy devices are used in conjunction with medical therapy to help with Heart Failure. Heart failure often causes the heart’s two ventricles to contract out of sync. The resynchronization device helps the two ventricles to work together.
Our Approach to Cardiac Device Support
At South Denver Cardiology Associates, our emphasis is always on helping our heart patients to live their best lives, no matter the current condition of their hearts. Our Device Clinic aids this mission by:
- Educating you about your device
- Providing you with convenient monitoring
- Optimizing the function of your device
The Device Clinic staff includes RNs, Certified Cardiac Device Specialists (CCDS), device technicians, and medical assistants. The entire staff is highly qualified and has specialized training in all aspects of cardiac devices.
Introduction to Your Device
Within two weeks of having a device implanted, you will visit the Device Clinic, where our staff will educate you on your new device. If you have any additional questions about the device and how it functions, they can answer them at this time. We want you to fully understand the device and its benefits. We’ll also explain about the function of your Home Monitor/Transmitter, which collects data from your device and sends it to us and your doctor.
Convenient Monitoring
The Device Clinic staff will monitor the function of your implanted device to make sure it is functioning properly. This will include an “interrogation” of the device about once every three months. A computer will communicate with the device to ensure it is functioning properly. Depending on the type of device you have, this may require a visit to our office, but it’s increasingly common that you can do this at home using wireless technology. The Device Clinic staff will explain how to do this, and they can help you through it the first few times until you get the hang of it.
Optimizing Device Function
Our Device Clinic staff is highly trained in all aspects of the cardiac devices that we use. They will constantly monitor the data coming from your device to look for any signs of problems with the battery or leads in your device. They’ll also look at the data about your heart’s function and bring any causes of concern to the attention of your doctor, though your cardiologist and/or electrophysiologist will also have access to the data. The Device Clinic staff will work with your doctors to reprogram the devices if necessary to improve your heart function.
South Denver Cardiology Associates Supports You
Although we’re called the “Device Clinic,” we’re not here for the devices, we’re here for you. The device is a tool that we use to help you improve your heart function so you can get back to living your best life. We are dedicated to providing innovative care that takes full advantage of the most recent developments in cardiology, but we always remember that the reason we do this is to provide you with exceptional care.
We know that your cardiac device is likely just one part of a complicated effort to support your heart health, and we want to integrate your device seamlessly into your overall strategy so that you get the maximum benefit with the minimum difficulty. Everything in the Device Clinic is designed for your ease and convenience while ensuring optimal functioning of your cardiac devices.
If your doctor recommends a cardiac device to improve your heart function, you can always trust that the Device Clinic will be here to support you.
Contact us today to schedule an appointment. South Denver Cardiology Associates serves patients in Denver, Littleton and the surrounding areas of Colorado.
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