Atrium Health Navicent The Medical Center Recognized for Care Provided to Patients with Chest Pain
The American College of Cardiology (ACC) has recognized Atrium Health Navicent The Medical Center for its expertise and commitment in treating patients with chest pain. Atrium Health Navicent The Medical Center was recently re-awarded Chest Pain Center Accreditation with Primary PCI based on a thorough onsite review of teammates’ ability to evaluate, diagnose and treat patients who may be experiencing a heart attack. The accreditation lasts through April 2028.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 805,000 Americans suffer a heart attack each year. The most common symptom of a heart attack for both men and women is chest pain or discomfort. Other heart attack symptoms include tingling or discomfort in one or both arms, back, shoulder, neck or jaw. Individuals may also experience shortness of breath, cold sweat, unusual tiredness, a heartburn-like feeling, nausea or vomiting, sudden dizziness or fainting.
Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is also known as coronary angioplasty. It is a minimally invasive procedure that opens narrowed or blocked coronary arteries with a balloon to relieve symptoms of heart disease or reduce heart damage during or after a heart attack.
Hospitals that have earned ACC Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI Accreditation from the American College of Cardiology have proven exceptional competency in treating patients with heart attack symptoms and have primary PCI available 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
“We are extremely proud of our team at Atrium Health Navicent The Medical Center for their continued dedication to our patients, working around the clock to provide high-quality care when patients need it most,” said Dr. Sanford G. Duke, chief clinical officer for Atrium Health Navicent. “This designation truly reflects Atrium Health Navicent The Medical Center’s continued commitment to excellence in emergency cardiac care right here in central Georgia.”
Atrium Health Navicent The Medical Center recently celebrated several milestones in care for heart patients.
After becoming one of the first hospitals in the region to implement the use of the Watchman device for patients with Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) in 2018, in 2024 Atrium Health Navicent celebrated the facility’s 500th Watchman procedure last year.
Also in 2024, Atrium Health Navicent The Medical Center became the first health system in central Georgia to perform a Barostim implant in a heart failure patient. The implant stimulates natural sensors in the body that tell the nervous system how to regulate heart function and helps to relieve symptoms of heart failure by reducing the heart’s workload and improving the heart’s pumping efficiency.
Last summer, Atrium Health Navicent The Medical Center became the only hospital in central Georgia to offer FARAPULSE Pulsed Field Ablation for the treatment of AFib. The FARAPULSE system is a new alternative to traditional thermal ablation, which is commonly used to treat patients with AFib. Atrium Health Navicent The Medical Center is also one of only two hospitals south of Atlanta to offer Transaortic Valve Replacement (TAVR). This non-surgical procedure allows a crimped-down valve to be inserted through a tube into the heart to replace a failing aortic valve.
For more information about procedures and services for heart patients, call Atrium Health Navicent Heart and Vascular Care at 478-743-9762.
About Atrium Health Navicent
Atrium Health Navicent is the leading provider of health care in central and south Georgia and is committed to its mission of elevating health and well-being through compassionate care. Atrium Health Navicent is part of Advocate Health, which is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is the third-largest nonprofit health system in the United States, created from the combination of Atrium Health and Advocate Aurora Health. Atrium Health Navicent provides high-quality, personalized care in 53 specialties at more than 50 facilities throughout the region. As part of the largest, integrated, nonprofit health system in the Southeast, it is also able to tap into some of the nation’s leading medical experts and specialists with Atrium Health, allowing it to provide the best care close to home – including advanced innovations in virtual medicine and care. Throughout its 130-year history in the community, Atrium Health Navicent has remained dedicated to enhancing health and wellness for individuals throughout the region through nationally recognized quality care, community health initiatives and collaborative partnerships. It is also one of the leading teaching hospitals in the region, helping to ensure viability for rural health care for the next generation. For more information, please visit www.NavicentHealth.org.
About Advocate Health
Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit, integrated health system in the United States, created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois; Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama; and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health services nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. Advocate Health is nationally recognized for its expertise in heart and vascular, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs more than 160,000 teammates across 69 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations, and offers one of the nation’s largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs. Committed to redefining care for all, Advocate Health provides more than $6 billion in annual community benefits.