Facts
- Beebe Medical Center began building its program of Cardiac Diagnostic services and rehabilitation services in 1978.
- The Beebe Cardiac Surgery program and Interventional and Invasive Cardiac Program began on Monday, February 5, 2007
- The Beebe Medical Center Cardiac Surgery Program is in affiliation with Christiana Care Health System. The Center for Heart & Vascular Health at Christiana Hospital is ranked #1 in Delaware for cardiac services and in the top 10 percent of hospitals in the nation for cardiac surgery by HealthGrades
- Cardiac Surgeon Fernando M. Garzia, MD, is Director of the Cardiac Surgery Program at Beebe Medical Center, and is a member of Christiana Care Cardiac Surgery. He is based at the Lewes office located on the Beebe Medical Center campus in Lewes.
- Cardiac Interventionalist Stephanie L. Goodwin, DO, is Director of the Interventional and Invasive Cardiac Program, and is a member of Cardiology Consultants, Lewes.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)
Summary
Q: What kinds of Cardiac Surgery are offered at Beebe?
Q: What is Coronary Artery Bypass Graft?
Q: What is Valve Replacement Surgery?
Q: What is Valve Repair Surgery?
Q: What are Percutaneous Coronary Interventions?
Q: What is Primary PCI?
Q: What is Balloon Angioplasty?
Q: What is Coronary Stenting?
Q: What Additional Cardiac Services are offered at
Beebe Medical Center?
Q: What Diagnostic Services does Beebe offer?
Q: What is the Beebe Chest Pain Observation Unit?
Q: What are Pacemakers and when did Beebe
begin implantation services?
Q: What is Cardiac Rehabilitation?
Q: What kinds of Cardiac Surgery are offered at Beebe?
A: The Cardiac Surgery procedures at Beebe Medical Center include:
- Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG)
- Valve Replacement Surgery
- Valve Repair Surgery
- Percutaneous Coronary Interventions (PCI) Primary PCI
- Balloon Angioplasty (Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary
Angioplasty or PTCA)
- Coronary Stenting
Q: What is Coronary Artery Bypass Graft?
A: Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) is a heart surgery procedure in which one or more blocked coronary arteries are bypassed by a blood vessel graft to restore normal blood flow to the heart. These grafts usually come from the patient's own arteries and veins located in the chest (thoracic), leg (saphenous) or arm (radial). The graft goes around the blocked artery (or arteries) to create new pathways for oxygen-rich blood to flow to the heart.
Q: What is Valve Replacement Surgery?
A: Valve Replacement Surgery is a procedure in which a person's own heart valve, such as the aortic or mitral valve, is removed and a new valve is implanted in its place. The new valve can either be a mechanical or tissue valve. Mechanical valves are made from synthetic materials, while tissue valves (also called biologic or bioprosthetic valves) are made of human or animal tissue.
Q: What is Valve Repair Surgery?
A: Valve Repair Surgery is performed to fix a faulty heart valve. The mitral valve is the most commonly repaired valve, but repair surgery is done on other valves, such as the aortic and tricuspid valves.
Q: What is Percutaneous Coronary Interventions?
A: Percutaneous Coronary Interventions (PCI) procedures are nonsurgical procedures used to treat persons experiencing myocardial ischemia (inadequate blood flow to the heart) or myocardial infarction (heart attack). The goal of PCI is to open up a coronary artery (blood vessel that brings blood and oxygen to the heart muscle) and restore blood flow.
Q: What is Primary PCI?
A: Primary PCI is an emergency treatment performed to reduce the amount of heart muscle permanently damaged by an acute myocardial infarction (heart attack).
Q: What is Balloon Angioplasty?
A: Balloon Angioplasty (Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty or PTCA) is type of PCI in which a small balloon at the tip of the catheter is placed near the blocked or narrowed area of the coronary artery. When the balloon is inflated, the blockage is compressed against the artery walls and the diameter of the blood vessel is widened (dilated) to increase blood flow to the heart.
Q: What is Coronary Stenting?
A: Coronary Stenting involves the placement of one or more coronary stents as part of a special balloon angioplasty procedure. A coronary stent is a small, metal mesh tube that acts as a scaffold to provide support inside the coronary artery. A balloon catheter, placed over a guide wire, is used to insert the stent into the narrowed artery. Once in place, the balloon is inflated and the stent expands to the size of the artery and holds it open. The balloon is deflated and removed, and the stent stays in place permanently. There are two types of stents available: bare metal stents (BMS) and drug-eluting stents (DES). Drug-eluting stents contain a medication that is released at the stent implantation site to help prevent the blockage from reforming in the artery.
Q: Other than Cardiac Surgery, what additional Cardiac Services
are offered at Beebe Medical Center?
A: Additional Cardiac Services at Beebe include:
- Chest Pain Observation Unit
- Pacemaker Implantation
- Cardiac Rehabilitation
- Diagnostic services
Q: What Diagnostic Services does Beebe offer?
A: Beebe's Diagnostic Services include:
- Ambulatory Monitoring
- Stress Tests
- Echocardiography
- Tilt Table Studies
- Catheterizations
Q: What is the Beebe Chest Pain Observation Unit?
A: The purpose of the Chest Pain Observation Unit: is to provide an alternative for patients who arrive in the Emergency Department and are at low risk for heart disease. This unit will allow them to be thoroughly evaluated and tested without being admitted to the hospital. Our goal is to have the evaluation completed in a timely manner and have the patient admitted to the hospital or discharged home.
Q: What are Pacemakers and when did Beebe begin offering Pacemaker Implantation services?
A: Pacemakers are small electronic devices implanted to regulate the heart rate. Beebe has offered the implantation of Pacemakers in its catheterization lab since 1999.
Q: What is Cardiac Rehabilitation?
A: Cardiac Rehabilitation involves a telemetry monitored Exercise program staffed by cardiac rehab nurses. Another focus of this program is Education, including classes and individual consultations on nutrition, stress reduction, lifestyle modification, smoking cessation, and exercise. Cardiac Rehab is available for those who have experienced a cardiac event. A physician referral is required. Beebe Cardiac Rehab services are available to qualified patients whether or not they have been previously treated at Beebe Medical Center. Cardiac Rehab is available as an outpatient service as well as to hospitalized patients.
