Baptist Home Health offers in-home care for patients with heart problems who are acutely ill, recuperating from heart surgery or suffering from chronic, debilitating heart disease such as Congestive Heart Failure through our At Home Cardiac Care Program.

Goals of the program include:

• Providing highly skilled, cost-effective services to cardiac patients at home
• Increasing patient compliance with dietary or lifestyle changes and decreasing risk behaviors, thereby decreasing the number of readmissions to the hospital for acute care
• Increasing public awareness of cardiac disease through community education

The program provides skilled nursing care by staff trained and experienced in cardiac care, as well as supportive services such as occupational therapy, physical therapy and nutritional counseling. This team approach promotes proper recovery and helps the patient return to daily activities. Services include:

• Cardiopulmonary assessment and education
• EKG monitoring
• EKG rhythm strip interpretations
• IV administration of electrolyte therapy, IV diuretics, and IV inotropic medications including Dobutamine, Inocar (Aamrinone), Dopamine and Milrinone (Primocor)
• Pulse oximetry readings of blood oxygen levels

Members of the Baptist Home Health Agency, the patient's physician and the patient remain in constant communication.

Congestive Heart Failure

For patients suffering from congestive heart failure, the cycle of hospital-to-home-to-hospital again is frustrating and can take its toll on both patients and families. Baptist Home Health's At Home Cardiac Care program can help patients interrupt this cycle and manage their disease at home.

Educating both the patient and the family is essential to controlling congestive heart failure (CHF). The At Home Cardiac Care program teaches patients and their families how to manage their medication, diet and activity to keep them feeling well. It also helps them identify symptoms early, so they can report to their physicians and possibly prevent a hospital visit.

Statistics indicate that by the year 2030, CHF prevalence will nearly double due to an aging population, improved treatments of hypertension and use of ACE inhibitors. The same research indicates that patients who are properly educated in the treatment and management of CHF take better care of themselves and are less likely to be readmitted to the hospital.*

Baptist Hospital Home Health Agency is striving to make sure that its patients are among those managing their disease at home.

For more information the At Home Cardiac Care program or other Baptist Home Health services, phone (270) 575-2990.

* Information provided by the Cardiology Roundtable/HealthCare Advisory Publication, "Beyond Four Walls."