Slidell Memorial Hospital is the most experienced in Cardiac services on the north shore, remaining on the forefront of technology, and consistently being first to offer new and innovative services in cardiac care.
SMH offers services such as cardiac testing (stress testing, echocardiograms), electrophysiology, open-heart surgery, including coronary artery bypass, pacemakers and cardiac defibrillators and valve repair. The hospital offers two Cardiac catheterization labs serving the community 24 hours a day seven days a week, Cardiac inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation.
In 2004, SMH became the first facility in East St. Tammany Parish to offer multi-slice CT scanning, which provides highly detailed images of the circulatory system and internal organs. The 16-slice scanner and its new 64-slice counterpart give SMH physicians and patients access to potentially life-saving technologies such as CT angiography, CT fluoroscopy and calcium scoring, all non-invasive procedures that can detect problems early, when they are most treatable. The 64-slice scanner is fast enough to create a clear, stop-action image of a beating heart while requiring nothing more invasive than an IV injection in the patient's arm.
SMH in 2008 became the first hospital in the area to offer Spectranetics Excimer Laser Ablation treatment for patients suffering from Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD). The system produces pulsed bursts of ultraviolet (UV) light energy that vaporize blockages in the arteries into tiny particles that are easily absorbed into the blood stream.
Cardiac Surgery / Critical Care Services
Two full-service Heart Surgery Suites
Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) Surgery
Valve Replacement
Off-pump Bypass
13-bed Medical Intensive Care
Six-bed Surgical Intensive Care
30-bed Cardiac/Medical Telemetry Unit
12 bed Pre- and Post-Cardiac Surgery and Intervention Unit
Slidell Memorial's Cardiac & Pulmonary Rehab programs are nationally certified by the American Association of Cardiovascular & Pulmonary Rehabilitation and address the physiological, psychosocial and vocational limitations of patients with chronic Cardiovascular disease and chronic lung conditions. The goal of therapy is to enable these patients to resume active and productive lives within the limitations imposed by their disease process and to focus on prevention of the progression or reversal of the patient's underlying condition. Includes physical therapy, education, risk factor modification and vocational support. Patients are seen during hospitalization for early mobilization and preparation to go home and, according to doctors' orders, continue therapy on an outpatient basis.
Operating under the supervision of a Cardiologist as Medical Director, staff includes a certified Cardiac-Vascular Nurse, registered nurses with Intensive Care experience, a master's degree exercise-physiologist and registered respiratory therapists. A registered dietician is available for consults. Located on the first floor of the SMH Medical Office Building, 1001 Gause Blvd., the unit features a state-of-the-art telemetry monitoring system, treadmills, Nu Step seated stair machine, seated recumbent bicycles, seated and standing eliptical, upper body ergomotry, free weights and a multi-station weight center.
The Cardiac & Pulmonary Rehab program treats the following disorders:
Coronary Artery disease/Angina
Heart attack, bypass or heart valve surgery
Stents and Angioplasty
Heart Transplantation
Congestive Heart Failure
COPD including chronic Asthma, Bronchitis and Emphysema
Inflammatory lung conditions such as sarchoidosis, pulmonary fibrosis and pulmonary hypertension
