Why Choose CHI St. Vincent Heart Institute?
Access
At CHI St. Vincent Heart Institute, you have access to the state’s largest and most diverse network of heart specialists. And we are close to home with services in Little Rock, North Little Rock, Hot Springs, Searcy and Conway and more than 25 community locations.
It’s All About You
We are leading the way in heart care, shifting the focus from procedure to program, from individual doctor to a team of specialists and primary care, from disease to whole-person wellness. Our team includes CHI St. Vincent Heart Clinic Arkansas (the state's largest cardiology group) as well as heart surgeons in Little Rock and Hot Springs. From aggressive diagnostic routines to the latest surgical procedures to heart health education, we offer comprehensive care close to home.
Learn about our care for heart disease. Hear our patient stories.
Latest Treatments and Technology for Heart Disease
We use the latest treatments for all forms of heart disease -- from common problems to rare or life-threatening conditions. Whether you've been referred for diagnostic testing, cardiac treatment or disease management, your best interests are at the heart of every medical recommendation we make and care option we provide.
With access to 10 cath lab procedure rooms, 6 CV operating rooms, 40 dedicated cardiology critical care beds and over 60 telemetry beds the CHI St Vincent Heart Institute has the resources to care for a variety of patients. Our support team includes advanced practice providers, perfusionists, nurses, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, physical therapists, social workers, and dietitians. With this breadth of specialties we our patients get comprehensive care tailored their individual health concerns and wellbeing. Our group of more than 50 heart specialits bring the diversity necessary to treat each patient's specific condition.
ACE Accredited Cardiac Cath Labs
The cardiac cath labs at CHI St Vincent Infirmary and CHI St Vincent North are the first 2 ACE accredited cath labs in the state of Arkansas, with the cath lab at the Infirmary also holding chest pain accreditation. We see a multitude of procedures including
- Cardiac catheterization (cardiac cath or heart cath) is a procedure to examine how well your heart is working.
- Stenting - a procedure used to open clogged heart arteries
- CTO - minimally invasive technique used to treat patients with chronic total occlusion (CTO), or complete blockages, of the coronary arteries.
- EP studies and ablations - used to treat heart arrhythmia
We bring together the state’s largest group of cardiologists with cardiothoracic surgeons and critical care intensivists to provide comprehensive care to our patients.
Hot Springs Heart Center provides comprehensive services and the latest technology in one convenient location. CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs has received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines® Target: Stroke Honor Roll Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. The award recognizes the hospital’s commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence.
CHI St. Vincent Infirmary has been ranked since 2012 by U.S. News & World Report as a top regional hospital by achieving high performing status for heart-related categories. We are one of two Arkansas hospitals, and fewer than 20 in the United States to receive Ace Accreditation for Cardiac Excellence for our cath labs. We do more than 3,000 catheterizations a year. Our Jack Stephens Heart Unit offers exceptional service and amenities.
CHI St. Vincent has received the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline® Gold Receiving Quality Achievement Award for implementing specific quality improvement measures for the treatment of patients who suffer severe heart attacks. The CHI St. Vincent Infirmary in Little Rock earned the award for meeting specific criteria and standards of performance for quick, appropriate treatment through emergency procedures to re-establish blood flow to blocked arteries in heart attack patients coming into the hospital directly or by transfer from another facility.
CHI St. Vincent North hospital’s heart services include a STEMI program that provides life-saving treatment for patients experiencing a heart attack.
CHI St. Vincent Morrilton also has advanced emergency capabilities to diagnosis heart problems.
Our partners also include with Conway Regional Medical Center and Unity Health – White County Medical Center where our cardiologists take care of patients close to home.
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Awards
CHI St. Vincent Resumes Limited Elective Procedures While Ensuring Safety of Patients and Staff
CHI St. Vincent has resumed limited elective and non-urgent procedures while taking additional precautions to ensure the ongoing safety of patients and healthcare staff. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced the lifting of state restrictions on elective procedures beginning April 27, 2020 and CHI St. Vincent has put necessary precautions in place in coordination with CommonSpirit Health and the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) that would allow the resumption of procedures delayed or rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That plan includes a careful and detailed approach to determine which procedures can safely be performed, where they can be performed and when they can be performed.
“So many things in our world have changed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Like most hospitals, we stopped performing elective and non-urgent procedures in late March to prepare for a surge of COVID-19 patients and continue providing patients who required medically necessary procedures with the safest care,” said CHI St. Vincent CEO Chad Aduddell. “We are now safely resuming some elective procedures as part of our healing ministry and compassionate care for the community. “
The resumption of elective procedures will be a gradual process, beginning with lowest risk outpatient procedures and progressing toward more complex surgical procedures. CHI St. Vincent services that began resumption as of Monday, April 27 included breast centers, cardiac rehab programs, and diagnostics that do not have invasive procedures associated with them and do not require prior COVID-19 testing.
CHI St. Vincent resumed outpatient surgical and cardiac procedures on Monday, May 4, 2020. Per an ADH directive, these patients will require PCR testing for COVID-19 within 48 hours of their procedure. The time period required for return to full elective procedures remains unclear, and will be determined by directives from the ADH, hospital capacity, availability of personal protective equipment (PPE), and other factors.
“As always, we remain dedicated to serving our community while protecting our healthcare providers and preserving limited resources even during the current COVID-19 pandemic,” said CHI St. Vincent Chief Medical Officer Douglas Ross. “Serving our communities is our calling and safely resuming these procedures is one of the best ways we can help our communities heal. They are critically important to our patients to help alleviate pain, treat chronic conditions or prevent a condition from worsening.”
CHI St. Vincent continues to take significant steps to make sure it is safe to provide care and be treated at its healthcare facilities. The criteria for resuming elective procedures and other services will be based on guidance from the CDC, US Surgeon General, American Hospital Association, and the leading national associations of nurses, surgeons, and anesthesiologists. CHI St. Vincent is also working closely with state and local partners while remaining vigilant in identifying, isolating and treating people who may be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Existing safety precautions like limiting visitation and universal masking for staff and patients will remain in place at CHI St. Vincent facilities. Additional precautions will include limiting the number of people in offices to allow for social distancing in common areas, revised patient registration processes and the continuation of virtual care visits when feasible to protect vulnerable patients. Patients interested in rescheduling a delayed procedure or who need to see a physician or advanced practice provider to address their healthcare needs are encouraged to contact their provider’s office and not wait until their condition becomes an emergency.