Heart & Vascular Procedures

To the left you'll find information about the cardiovascular procedures performed at Meriter Heart & Vascular Hospital. Each article contains details on how to prepare for the procedure, what to expect during the procedure and what to expect afterward. If you have any questions, contact the Meriter Heart & Vascular Hospital at (608) 417-6259 or hearthospital@meriter.com.

The Meriter Heart & Vascular Hospital - A Cardiovascular Center of Excellence
"The Heart & Vascular Hospital is a new concept in care, locally, that showcases the latest technology and care teams that are among the best in the country," says Meriter President and CEO Jim Woodward. "It's yet another way that Meriter, as a not-for-profit hospital, continues to focus on our mission to heal, to teach and to serve."

Commitment to Quality
Quality is important to us and to our patients. The Meriter Heart & Vascular Hospital participates in many national quality initiatives, which allow us to compare our patient care to the best in the country. We use the data to continuously seek ways to reduce complications and use new techniques to decrease pain, speed recovery and improve outcomes. As a result of our data-driven quality effort:

• Our heart bypass surgery mortality rates have been lower than national benchmarks for the past seven years.
• Our patients who undergo bypass surgery have far fewer complications than the national average.

This commitment to quality has not gone unnoticed. In the past year alone, the hospital has received numerous state and national awards that attest to the quality care delivered here. Those awards include:

• The Wisconsin Forward Governor's Award, the highest level awarded
• Solucient Top 100 Cardiovascular Hospitals
• VHA Leadership Award for Clinical Excellence
• American Heart Association "Get With the Guidelines" Recognition

Chest Pain Center
Meriter is proud to have the first accredited Chest Pain Center in Wisconsin. People who come to Emergency Services with chest pain receive a rapid clinical assessment to determine if they are having a heart attack that requires them to go directly to the cardiac catheterization lab for speedy treatment. People with no ECG changes but acute, intermittent chest pain are admitted to the Chest Pain Observation Unit for testing. Patients benefit by quickly learning why they are having chest pain. In most cases, patients with less serious conditions are discharged within 24 hours, saving them the expense and time of an inpatient stay.