HEART HEALTH
AT ST VINCENT’S PRIVATE HOSPITAL TOOWOOMBA
St Vincent’s Private Hospital has launched a new cardiology service in partnership with leading Queensland cardiology service provider Heartcare Partners.
The St Vincent’s Cardiology Service, which is being delivered in collaboration with local cardiology providers Downs Cardiac Clinic and Heart 1st will commence as a diagnostic service, and expand to include a full range of interventional services later in 2018. The service is fully supported by the hospital’s experienced teams in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and 24-hour Emergency Centre, Toowoomba’s only private Emergency service, as well as Queensland X-ray.
The hospital’s team of experienced specialist and subspecialist cardiologists is supported by state-of-the-art cardiac imaging and cardiac catheter technology recently installed as part of the $30 million Clive Berghofer Operating Theatre Suite.
To support the service, refurbishment is currently underway on the new 16-bed St Vincent’s Cardiac Unit. Private rooms are equipped with state-of-the-art monitoring to ensure patients recover safely, in a comfortable, modern and peaceful environment.
While heart disease is one of the major diseases affecting Australian adults, the good news is that many of the disease risk factors are modifiable. If you think your heart health needs attention, speak to your GP about a referral to St Vincent’s Private Hospital for a diagnostic assessment.
Here are a few tips to help prevent cardiovascular disease:
Quit smoking. Smokers are twice as likely to have a heart attack as non-smokers. From the moment you stop smoking, your risk of heart attack starts to reduce. Exercise and lose weight. Your heart needs exercise to keep fit for its arduous task of pumping blood efficiently around your body for the rest of your life. Aim for 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise a day. Eat a balanced diet. Healthy eating helps to reduce the risk of developing heart disease, and can also help increase your chances of survival after a heart attack. Cut your salt intake. Too much salt causes high blood pressure, which increases the risk of developing coronary heart disease.
Limit your alcohol. Too much alcohol can damage the heart muscle, increase blood pressure and lead to weight gain.