Matters of the Heart

It's natural to take matters of the heart for granted. But when something goes wrong, you need a medical facility you can trust with your life.

The Heart Care Team

At St. Michael Hospital, we have experienced cardiac specialists. Our Heart Care program offers many services and a highly skilled team of cardiologists, cardiovascular surgeons, cardiac nurses, rehabilitation specialists and others who will work closely with your family physician to meet all your heart care needs.

A Tradition of Caring

St. Michael Hospital has been providing family-centered health care to the greater Milwaukee community for nearly 60 years. High quality heart care is an important part of our proud history. Our Critical Care Unit, for example, recently celebrated its 30th anniversary. The Cardiac Rehabilitation Program has been in existence for more than 25 years. And our newly renovated Emergency Department has been treating cardiac patients since we first opened our doors in 1941.

Comprehensive Health Care

From prevention through diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation, St. Michael Hospital is dedicated to providing a complete spectrum of cardiac services in an atmosphere of personalized care and concern.

The Heart Care Team

The expertise of an experienced staff is an essential component of any heart care program. All of our cardiologist, cardiovascular surgeons and anesthesiologists have many years of intensive training and experience and are either board-certified or have the equivalent credentials. Your physicians will be assisted by a full team of health care professionals form St. Michael Hospital including cardiac nurses, critical care nurses, cardiac rehabilitation specialists, technologists, dietitians, pharmacists, patient transition coordinators, and social workers. Your family doctor is another integral member of the heart care team. The physician who knows you best can help cardiac specialists understand your overall physical condition and provide follow-up care and education to keep you and your heart in good health.

Emergency Treatment

When heart problems occur, minutes can mean the difference between life and death. With more than 42,000 admissions annually, our Emergency Department is one of the busiest in Milwaukee and is fully prepared for cardiac emergencies. A St. Michael Hospital cardiologist is available around the clock. And the department is staffed 24 hours a day by board certified physicians and registered nurses certified in Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS).

Critical Care

Patients who need continuous monitoring and close observation are cared for in our Critical Care Center. This unit is staffed by highly trained and experienced registered nurses and other members of the health care team.

Diagnostic Testing

A precise diagnosis is the first step toward effective treatment. At the Heart Care Center, virtually any type of diagnostic cardiac testing is available - from a simple resting EKG to a complex echocardiogram. These tests are painless and frequently are done on an outpatient basis. Cardiac catheterization is an invasive diagnostic test in which the cardiologist uses a catheter, special dye and x-rays to obtain detailed information on the structure and function of the heart. St. Michael has been performing cardiac catheterization routinely since opening a Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory in 1985.

Coronary Angioplasty (PTCA)

Percutaneous translluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) is a non-surgical procedure in which a small balloon is used to open blocked arteries, restoring blood flow to the heart muscle. The patient remains awake during the entire procedure, which usually lasts form 30 minutes to two hours. Angioplasty has long been performed on an emergency basis at St. Michael Hospital and is used whenever appropriate as an alternative to major surgery.

Heart Surgery

Our heart surgery program is the result of years of careful planning to meet the growing needs of patients and physicians, and to add another dimension to established cardiac services. Two state-of-the-art surgery suites offer the most advanced technology available to perform all the customary surgical heart procedures including coronary artery bypass and valve surgeries.

Cardiac Rehabilitation

Our Cardiac Rehabilitation Program offers four progressive phases of monitored exercise and education to help patients achieve and an active, heart-healthy life. The program begins during hospitalization and continues through outpatient care in the wellness environment of the St. Michael Hospital Health Center in Brown Deer. The Health Center is staffed by rehabilitation specialists including registered nurses, therapists and exercise physiologists.

Education and Support

Along with one-on-one patient education, St. Michael Hospital offers a variety of community education classes to help individuals change lifestyle habits for the good of their heart. Topics range form diet and exercise, to stress and smoking. Blood pressure monitoring, cholesterol screening programs and a heart risk assessment survey are also available. Three active cardiac support groups - two for patients and one for spouses - meet regularly at the St. Michael Hospital Health Center in Brown Deer.

Philosophy of Care

Our coordinated approach to caring ensures that every aspect of your treatment is carefully planned to be as comfortable, efficient and conducive to recovery as possible. Coordinated care also means total well being. We work to see that all our patients' needs are met - the physical as well as the psychological, spiritual and social concerns that sometimes come with diagnosis and treatment. As a member of the Covenant Healthcare System and being sponsored by the Wheaton Franciscan Sisters, our primary mission is to provide patients and their families with the highest level of care in an atmosphere of kindness, dignity and respect. From simple tests to sophisticated surgery, from technologist and therapist to nurse and physician, that special blend of touch and technology extends across St. Michael Hospital. It's been that way for more than half a century. It�s our tradition of caring...and our future full of promise.

For more information about the Heart Care program at St. Michael Hospital, please call (414) 527-8203.