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.
Accreditations for Excellence in Heart Care
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Awards
CHI St. Vincent Cardiovascular Surgeons Earn Highest Quality Rating for Isolated Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Procedures
CHI St. Vincent Infirmary cardiovascular surgeons, part of the CHI St. Vincent Heart Institute, have received the highest rating for quality of care and outcomes for isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) procedures from the distinguished Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS). CABG procedures are used to treat coronary artery disease and only 6–10 percent of participating groups receive this highest three-star rating, placing the CHI St. Vincent Heart Institute among the elite cardiovascular surgery groups in the United States.
“Coronary artery disease is the most common form of heart disease and it is important that our patients know that they receive the very best possible care here in Arkansas with CHI St. Vincent,” said Marcia Atkisson, president of the CHI St. Vincent Heart Institute. “We offer the most advanced diagnostic techniques and cardiovascular technologies for our patients alongside nationally recognized surgical expertise.”
The STS star rating system is one of the most sophisticated and highly regarded overall measures of quality in health care and the three-star rating denotes the highest category of quality the system bestows. The star rating is calculated using a combination of quality measures for specific procedures performed by an STS Adult Cardiac Surgery Database participant. STS also recently recognized cardiovascular surgeons at CHI St. Vincent Infirmary with another three-star rating for mitral valve replacement and repair (MVRR) surgery with CABG.
“The Society of Thoracic Surgeons congratulates STS National Database participants who have received three-star ratings,” said David M. Shahian, MD, chair of the Task Force on Quality Measurement. “Participation in the Database and public reporting demonstrates a commitment to quality improvement in health care delivery and helps provide patients and their families with meaningful information to help them make informed decisions about health care.”
CHI St. Vincent Infirmary was recognized as the best hospital in Arkansas for cardiology and heart surgery in the 2020–21 Best Hospital Rankings from U.S. News & World Report. In February, CHI St. Vincent Heart Institute was also one of only two institutions recognized as a center of excellence for both Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) and Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair (MitraClip™) (TEER) heart procedures across the 142 hospital and 21 state CommonSpirit Health system. To learn more about the CHI St. Vincent Heart Institute or schedule an appointment, visit: chistvincent.com/heart