Understanding your personal risk factors, learning about treatments and translating this knowledge into action isn't always easy. In fact, as a heart attack, angina, angioplasty, or open-heart surgery patient, it may seem a bit overwhelming. This guide to cardiopulmonary services at Waterbury Hospital is designed to give you an overview of your testing, treatment and rehabilitation options. Along the way you will learn that recovery from, or coping with, heart disease is within your reach.

Meet Our Team
For over 30 years the cardiopulmonary team at Waterbury Hospital has been providing cardiac and pulmonary patients with exceptional individualized medical services, from diagnosis to rehabilitation. The hospital-based cardiopulmonary team is the heart and soul of Waterbury Hospital's program. We believe our mission is to treat each patient as a unique individual with sensitivity and compassion, while sharing the benefits of our extensive medical training and experience. Rest assured that we will work very closely with your primary care physician and your cardiologist to make sure you receive the very best care possible.

 Highest Level of Accreditation
As the Region's foremost provider of prevention, detection, treatment and rehabilitation of heart and lung illness, Waterbury Hospital carries the highest level of accreditation from the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO).

Our Nursing Staff
All of our cardiac care nurses have ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) accreditation. This type of advanced medical training makes every nurse on our team a competent practitioner who is meticulously involved in all aspects of patient care, from cardiac emergencies to rehabilitation. Also, we believe that there is nothing like a familiar face to make a patient feel at ease. In most cases you are cared for by the same cardiac nurse specialist, from your hospital stay to your rehabilitation phase.

Our cardiac patients consistently rate our cardiopulmonary services in the 90th percentile for quality of care, friendliness of staff and expertise of physicians and nurses.

Our Physicians
As an affiliate institution of the Yale University School of Medicine, many of our cardiopulmonary physicians continue to teach and further their training at Yale. We are also a teaching hospital, where resident physicians assist in providing you with the latest in cardiac care.

Technology with Heart
Building on its 30 years of experience in treating heart and lung illnesses, the Cardiopulmonary Team has created a full complement of services using the latest developments in cardiac medicine and state-of-the-art technology.

Over the course of your treatment, your doctor may order the following tests:

Digital Catheterization
Waterbury Hospital was first in Connecticut to offer "filmless" digital catheterization to adult patients. This new digital system provides crystal-clear images of your heart and arteries, while exposing you to half the radiation used in traditional cardiac catheterization. Moreover, the test gives you immediate access to test results. This may be especially helpful when every second counts in evaluating your heart.

Exercise Stress Testing
Your doctor may order a cardiac stress test to determine how well your heart performs as demands are placed on it. During the test, you exercise on a treadmill or bike, while attached to an EKG machine.

A technologically-advanced nuclear camera called a gamma camera reduces the duration of the stress test and provides instant, crystal-clear pictures of heart muscle and blood flow.

Pacemaker Clinic
Our Pacemaker Clinic provides an additional element of continued care. Many patients find it helpful to meet with their cardiac nurse while their pacemaker data is being reviewed. Patients may also transmit their vital statistics over the telephone directly into our computer system. This is ideal for patients who are homebound or in a nursing home, but still need frequent monitoring.

24-Hour Monitoring
An important diagnostic tool for our doctors involves the use of a small, portable heart monitor worn by the patient for a 24-hour period. The data collected on the monitor is evaluated to identify any irregularities.

Cardiac Ultrasound
This sophisticated tool uses high-frequency doppler sound radar to provide information about your heart valves, heart wall, motion and size. Utilizing the latest in digital technology, ultrasound provides your doctor with a highly accurate image of your heart.

Reveal Plus
Another tool your doctor may use to pinpoint any cardiac abnormalities is the Reveal Plus heart monitor. This device, about the size of a stick of gum, is implanted beneath the skin. It monitors your heart's activity for up to 14 months. Reveal Plus does not disrupt your everyday activities and its sensors cannot become detached. Your cardiologist can retrieve valuable information simply by passing a wand over the implanted device.

Compact Disk Storage Of Medical Records
Digital catheterization, cardiac ultrasound, and many other tests, are efficiently stored within the Hospital's extensive computer database. Today, a physician treating you in the Emergency Department may access this potentially life-saving information by merely entering your name on the computer screen. In the very near future, this data will be sent anywhere it is needed in the United States, and some day anywhere in the world.

Cardiopulmonary Testing For Executive Physicals
Our cardiopulmonary team has a special philosophy for busy professionals: "The VIP Treatment." We schedule your cardiac testing around other components of your annual physical, in order to make the most of your time.

Pulmonary Function Testing
A special feature of our Cardiopulmonary Services is the ability to evaluate lung capacity. Using the latest technology to access, monitor and diagnose lung disease, our pulmonary services are the most complete in the region.

The Regional Sleep Laboratory
Almost 50% of the adult population experiences sleep problems. When symptoms become chronic, they may adversely affect many aspects of your life and eventually your health. Diagnostic testing and treatment at the Regional Sleep Lab of Waterbury Hospital, is designed to identify and treat many forms of sleep disorders. A referral from your physician may make the difference between counting sheep and getting a good night's sleep.

Mending Broken Hearts
When you are hospitalized at Waterbury Hospital, the cardiopulmonary support team uses a medical plan called a pathway to make sure you receive the best care for you. Pathways bring together your personal physician, the cardiopulmonary team and the finest resources and specialists the Hospital has to offer, in a step-by-step move toward recovery. Pathways are not limited to your hospital stay. The final benefit of pathways is that they also point the way to an appropriate rehabilitation strategy as you enter the next phase of regaining control of your health.

Your Path to Good Health
Whether your road to recovery begins as an inpatient or an outpatient, making the appropriate lifestyle changes is essential to putting you back on the path to good health. Throughout all stages of your rehabilitation, the expertise of cardiac nurses and cardiologists, exercise physiologists, dieticians, social workers, counselors, pharmacists and your primary care physician are carefully orchestrated in a total team effort.

Hearts of Gold
Flexercise, Walk-Fit, Stress Management, The Exercise Wellness Program and The Healthy Hearts Club are just a few of the highly successful programs offered by our Cardiopulmonary Services. Initially designed for cardiopulmonary rehabilitation patients, these programs are now part of Waterbury Hospital's growing roster of prevention programs. Many of these services do not require a physician's referral. Combined with the ease of our valet parking, these programs are recommended by cardiologists throughout the region. Inquire about our rehab programs.