OSU Ross Heart Hospital offers these comprehensive services to treat all forms of heart and vascular disease:
DRUG THERAPY
INTERVENTIONAL SERVICES (Cardiac Catheterization)
SURGICAL SERVICES
For assistance locating a service or physician, call (614) 293-5123 or toll-free (800) 293-5123.
DRUG THERAPY:
Heart Rhythm (Arrhythmia) – Several medications, often used in conjunction with lifestyle changes, are available to help normalize heart rhythms.
Heart Failure – Along with education and intense monitoring, patients with heart failure may receive drug therapy such as beta-blockers, nitroglycerine, calcium channel blockers, anticoagulants, digitalis or ACE inhibitors.
INTERVENTIONAL SERVICES (Cardiac Catheterization): Cardiac catheterization can be used for both diagnosis and treatment. The procedure involves threading a thin flexible tube (the catheter) through the blood vessel to examine or treat the affected area in the vessel or heart.
Atherosclerosis/Artery Disease
Balloon (Percutaneous Translumninal Coronary) Angioplasty – a small balloon-tipped catheter inserted into the coronary artery is inflated to compress blockages against the arterial walls, which improves blood flow
Excimer Laser – a "cool light” (excimer) laser threaded to the artery blockage disintegrates built-up plaque
Atherectomy – using a specially designed catheter equipped with surgical instruments, heart specialists "shave down" blockages to help restore more normal blood flow
Rotational Ablation – using a catheter with a high speed rotating diamond-coated tip, blockages within blood vessels are destroyed in order to improve blood flow Coronary
Stenting – a metallic spring-like device is deployed in the artery after angioplasty to maintain the vessel opening
Thrombolytic Therapy -- Thrombolytic (clot-dissolving) drugs such as t-PA and streptokinase open blocked coronary arteries to rapidly restore blood flow during myocardial infarction
Interventional Follow-up Clinic – Ongoing services and support are offered including evaluations, education and support for lifestyle changes to reduce the risk of further heart disease. Clinic visits for those who have undergone interventional therapy are typically set at two to six weeks post-procedure and then again at six months and each year following.
Heart Rhythm (Arrhythmia)
Pacemaker/Defibrillator Implantation – Cardiologists at the OSU Heart Center are implanting the newest generation of cardioverter defibrillators. These highly sophisticated devices act like the patient's own paramedic unit, recognizing deadly heart arrhythmias and providing electrical stimulation to correct potentially lethal problems.
Pacemaker Lead Extraction – Through a small incision in the leg or at the pacemaker implant site, cardiologists, with the use of a laser, are able to remove aged or defective leads if they interfere with cardiac function. This technique replaces the need for open heart surgery, resulting in lower risks and quicker recovery. This may be done as an outpatient procedure.
Radiofrequency Ablation – Using high frequency radio waves delivered from the tip of a catheter, cardiologists are able to denature abnormal cardiac tissue causing an arrhythmia and cure the heart rhythm problem. This technique can be used to treat about 90 percent of supraventricular tachycardias, especially those associated with Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome and the AV node reentry tachycardia. A surgical procedure often completed during open heart surgery called the Maze or Cox-Maze procedure may also be used to correct rhythm irregularities.
Pacemaker Follow-Up Clinic – Subtle adjustments to the pacemaker/defibrillator can be made to better fit an individual’s lifestyle and activity level. Adjustments are generally done using a remote control wand placed over the chest (much like you change a television station using your remote control).
SURGICAL SERVICES: OSU Ross Heart Hospital offers a comprehensive program of surgical solutions to heart disorders and is recognized as an international leader in the use of minimally invasive procedures that often provide smaller incisions, shorter hospital stays and faster recovery. OSU’s pioneering work in the use of heart assist devices, mechanical aids the heart’s pumping action, has also been recognized worldwide.
Bypass –OSU surgeons have been recognized internationally for their expertise with bypass surgery (Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting or CABG) and minimally invasive, robotic assisted bypass surgery. These procedures are used to improve blood flow to the heart.
Revascularization – Some patients who suffer severe angina (chest pain) can benefit from surgically created bloodlines to bring oxygen and nutrients to the heart muscle.
Valve Repair – OSU surgeons can repair a damaged heart valve or replace it with an artificial valve or the patient’s own tissue.
Aortic Repair – Numerous surgical options are available for those with disease or injury to the aorta, the body’s major pipeline to deliver oxygenated blood. OSU surgeons can repair aneurysms (weakened spots), tears and narrowing, often using minimally invasive procedures.
Congential Heart Disease – Complete surgical services are available to help correct heart disease arising from anatomical (structural) defects present since birth.
Heart Failure – OSU is among the select centers nationwide taking part in a clinical trial that offers a surgical solution to heart failure. In conjunction with bypass surgery, myoblasts (muscle cells) from the patient’s thigh are injected into the heart in order to foster the growth of new heart tissue. OSU also offers implantation of Left Ventricular Assist Devices (LVAD) to improve the heart’s pumping ability. OSU is among the few centers nationwide approved by Medicaid to use LVAD for permanent heart failure therapy.
Ventricular Restoration – Surgeons may use this procedure to remove scar tissue or an aneurysm in order to improve the shape of the heart and its pumping ability. It may be performed along with bypass surgery or valve repair.
Transplantation – OSU Ross Heart Hospital offers the only adult heart transplant program in central Ohio. The focus is on caring for the patient’s physical, psychological, emotional and social needs throughout the transplant process. OSU has a strong tradition of leadership in heart and organ transplantation. Decades ago, OSU research on immune suppressive drugs (cyclosporine) helped make organ transplantation a viable option for those with end-stage disease. Current OSU research is evaluating all aspects of transplantation from better organ preservation and surgical procedures to improved heart assist devices that may be used as therapy or bridges to transplantation. Learn more about heart transplantation.
Heart Transplant Follow-Up Clinic – To help patients and families after transplantation, OSU continues to provide monitoring, education, medication instruction and heart function evaluation. For families who must travel a significant distance for their OSU care, Unverferth House offers lodging and support services during the heart transplant process.
