Heart Center
A higher quality of cardiac care for a higher quality of life.
At Lakeland Regional Medical Center, you’ll find superior care for a wider range of cardiac services. 
As the most established heart program in Polk County, no one offers you more knowledge, more innovation or more expertise.
As first in the region to perform open heart surgery, Lakeland Regional Medical Center’s more than 30 years of experience is unmatched locally. In addition, Lakeland Regional was first to offer leading advances in treatment like atherectomy and stenting, including drug-eluting stents. That commitment to bringing state-of-the-art procedures to the area continues today.
Award-Winning
The highest designation given to hospitals by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) – a three-star rating for quality of heart surgery – has been awarded to Lakeland Regional Medical Center now for the second consecutive time. Nationwide, only 14% of centers attained this level, which is a designation recognizing quality and clinical excellence. The STS registry is the largest single-specialty database in the country, now with over 900 participating institutions and over 3.5 million patient records. To read more, click here.
Lakeland Regional Medical Center received the 2009 ACTION Registry-GWTG (Get With the Guidelines) Gold Performance Achievement Award from the American College of Cardiologists. Teh aware recognizes LRMC’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard fo care for heart attack patients and signifies that LRMC has reached an aggressive goal of treating coronary artery disease patients with 85 percent compliance to core standard levels of care as outlined by the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association. To read more, click here.
LRMFC has received full Cycle III accreditation with Percutaneous Coronary Interventions (PCI) from the Accreditation Review Committee of the Society of Chest Pain Centers. The accreditation is valid through March 2013. To read more, click here.
Meet our Cardiologists
Meet our CV Surgeons
Diagnostics and Interventional Cardiology
Over 70 million Americans have heart disease. Through the aid of sophisticated diagnostics and interventional procedures, LRMC’s Heart Center is improving the lives of patients with heart disease like never before.
A few of the procedures we offer include:
- Drug-eluting stents
- Cartomerge imaging
- Angioplasty
- Intracardiac echocardiography
- Carotid stenting
- Intravascular ultrasound
Innovative Treatments
LRMC has long been on the forefront of cardiac care. As the first in the area to bring you open-heart procedures and robotic surgery, LRMC offers treatment comparable to leading heart centers across the country. Which means you’ll often find procedures here that aren’t available at other places.
Some of the procedures available are:
- Off-pump and on-pump bypass surgery
- Surgical MAZE for atrial fibrillation
- Mitral valve repair
- Radiofrequency ablation
- Biventricular pacemakers and defibrillators
- Laser lead extraction
- Mitral valvuloplasty
We’ve got the coolest treatment in town…
Statistics tell us that despite high-tech drugs and medical care, only 7 percent of the 300,000 Americans who suffer cardiac arrest this year will survive. However, a new treatment is now available that can increase survival rates. Only a limited number of hospitals in the country have this revolutionary technology, and LRMC is proud to be one of them.
Induced hypothermia involves placing a patient into a hypothermic state, lowering their body temperature. When the heart stops, the brain is deprived of oxygen, even with CPR. No drugs or high-tech machines can stop the damage, but studies show Induced Hypothermia administered for 24 hours stops and even prevents neurological damage.
Research shows that cooling decreases the body’s metabolism, thereby preserving neurologic function and preventing swelling in the brain. In 2005, the American Heart Association incorporated Induced Hypothermia Therapy into its advanced cardiovascular life support protocol. Clinical trials suggest it may also be beneficial in selected patients with neurologic injuries. In a very celebrated case, professional football player Kevin Everett of the Buffalo Bills was treated with Induced Hypothermia following a spinal cord injury in a game with the Denver Broncos.
One LRMC patient, E. Wyllys Taylor, was attending a birthday party when he collapsed. In spite of the fact there were doctors and emergency personnel in the vicinity, as well as an automatic external defibrillator, Mr. Taylor’s survival was severely threatened. The victim credits Mathew Vadaparampil, MD of Clark & Daughtrey, and Dean Sandifer, MD of Watson Clinic, with employing the hypothermia equipment that helped save his life.
In describing her husband’s ordeal, Mrs. Taylor said, “Life was breathed back into him…It wouldn’t be the same story without it (the technology).”
Numerous cases have been reported from other hospitals. They tell of patients who were non-responsive and facing almost certain neurologic damage before Induced Hypothermia was applied for 24 hours. Remarkably, these patients recovered with no neurological abnormalities.
Superior Equipment and Facilities
When you’re faced with life-threatening heart problems, don’t settle for anything less than the most progressive cardiac services. From our emergency department to our catheterization labs, to our sophisticated OR suites and Coronary Care Unit, patients at LRMC receive state-of-the art cardiac technologies that go unmatched in our area. And because we can house a bigger heart program, we’re able to bring you better services, resulting in the best possible care.
Following are a few of the ways we bring you outstanding care:
- More OR suites than other area hospitals
- Most catheterization labs in Polk County
- More than 9,000 cardiac procedures annually
- Most advanced equipment
Education & Rehabilitation
Whether you’re at risk for heart disease or have already experienced a significant episode, we’re focused on keeping your heart healthy for the long run. We offer a variety of community seminars and classes aimed at achieving better heart health, whether it’s through smoking cessation or eating more wisely. For patients admitted to our hospital, we provide phase I cardiac rehabilitation. Under the guidance of our rehabilitation team, this program gives patients the knowledge and tools necessary to better manage and modify lifestyle, such as nutrition and exercise. We also offer the following programs:
- Ongoing community seminars and classes
- Coordinated exercise, diet and education program
- Supervision by cardiac doctors, nurses, therapists & dietitians
- In-patient education via LRMC-TV On Demand
- Staff encouragement and support
Most Experienced Staff
When considering heart care, also consider who’s providing it. Our services are delivered by leading, board-certified cardiologists, cardiovascular surgeons, electrophysiologists and specialty-trained cardiac nurses, along with other multidisciplinary heart specialists. Heart experts who perform more than 9,000 procedures annually and have more combined years of experience and expertise than any other hospital in our area. Which means that here, you’ll receive the highest level of cardiac care for a wider range of services.
With such technology, skill and experience, it’s no wonder LRMC’s heart program is thriving. And so are our patients. For a free physician referral, call 863-682-LRMC (5762).
For valuable information about heart health, visit the American Heart Association.
For the latest heart related news headlines, please visit the heart disease center at Health Vision.