Heart and Vascular Services at University Hospitals Parma Medical Center

Residents of Parma, Brooklyn, Seven Hills, North Royalton and surrounding communities can get highly specialized, advanced medical and surgical therapies, including access to the latest clinical trials, some of which are available only in certain programs across the nation.

Located on the first floor of UH Parma Medical Center, not far from the emergency room and intensive care unit, registered cardiovascular technicians can also perform diagnostic testing and imaging.

Cardiovascular Conditions We Treat

The Parma Heart Center – now UH Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute – opened in the late 1990s with open heart surgery, three high-risk catheterization labs and later a vascular lab. Today, the cardiovascular team at UH Parma Medical Center provides a comprehensive range of heart and vascular related diagnostic and treatment services for conditions such as:

• Coronary artery disease
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Inflammatory heart diseases
• Vascular disease, such as:
  • Abdominal aortic aneurysm
  • Carotid artery disease
  • Peripheral artery disease

Expanded Heart Services at UH Parma Medical Center

Cardiac Catheterization Lab

Recently, UH Parma Medical Center opened a $900,000 state-of-the-art cardiac catheterization lab. The upgrade included new technology, new software, updated control rooms and dictation/work rooms to support minimally invasive tests and procedures to diagnose and treat cardiovascular disease.

Heart Surgery Services

In July 2021, the existing strong cardiology program at UH Parma Medical Center was reinvigorated by the top-rated cardiac surgery team of UH Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute. This expansion of cardiac services allows patients to remain in their community for specialized care rather than traveling to UH Cleveland Medical Center for advanced procedures.

A core team of four highly skilled surgeons from UH Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute perform advanced coronary artery bypass graft surgery, aortic and mitral valve surgery, and minimally invasive surgery, among other procedures at UH Parma Medical Center. They perform these procedures in specially designed operating rooms that are part of the $27.5 million renovation of the Surgical Services Department.

Patient Navigator Services: When 68 year old Christine Rand was diagnosed with COPD and congestive heart failure in the UH Parma ED, nurse navigator Elizabeth Prahst stepped in to help. Through one-on-one education, nutrition counseling and the coordination of follow-up appointments, Elizabeth strives to help patients manage their condition and avoid hospital readmissions.

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Outpatient Heart Clinics

UH Parma’s program features three outpatient clinics for heart patients:

• Cardiac Surgical Disease Clinic, which treats conditions such as atrial fibrillation
• Advanced Heart Failure Clinic
• Cardiac Device Clinic

The Advanced Heart Failure Clinic treats patients with severely reduced ejection fraction, refractory heart failure, or those struggling with recurrent admissions for heart failure.

The Cardiac Device Clinic team interprets new implants and performs follow-up checks both in person and remotely on pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) and CRT-D devices for cardiac resynchronization therapy. A new documentation system called Paceart can track patients’ medical devices to notify them when they should be upgraded or replaced, and whether they would benefit from cardiac ablation or need referral for heart failure treatment.

Cardiovascular Service Recognition at UH Parma Medical Center

UH Parma Medical Center has received these awards and accreditations for providing the highest-quality cardiology and vascular care according to evidence-based research and national guidelines:

• Intersocietal Accreditation Commission for Echocardiography
• Intersocietal Accreditation Commission for Vascular Laboratories
• Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care: Chest Pain Center Accreditation
• American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation Certification
• Aetna Institutes of Quality Cardiac Care
• Anthem Blue Distinction Center Cardiac Care