Cardio-Pulmonary Services:
978-249-1317

The Cardio-Pulmonary Services Division of Athol Memorial Hospital assists in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and support of patients with cardio-pulmonary and neurological system disorders, with an emphasis on prevention through education.

The Cardio-Pulmonary Department provides pulmonary, cardiac and neurological diagnostic testing as well as treatment for acute and chronic lung disorders. Services are provided by licensed professionals, 24 hours a day 7 days per week, for all age groups.

Respiratory Services:
Respiratory Therapists help manage patients with breathing disorders by providing assessments, monitoring and physician directed therapy as well as various diagnostic tests. Respiratory Therapists treat and assist with all age groups of patients ranging from premature infants with undeveloped lungs to geriatric patients with lung diseases. They also assist with the emergency care of patients, which includes victims of respiratory failure, asthma or COPD exacerbations, heart attack, drug overdose, drowning, anaphylactic shock and stroke.
 

Cardiology Services:

• Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG)
o An EKG provides complex measurements of the heart's electrical activity. The results provide physicians with invaluable information about the heart's rate, rhythm and condition.
• 24 or 48 hour Holter Monitoring
o Our Holter monitors are small light weight portable digital recorders with electrodes that attach to the patient. It continuously monitors the heart rate and rhythm.
• 30-day Event Monitoring
o Two types of digital recorders are provided for long term cardiac monitoring. A loop monitor has two self-adhesive electrodes which attack to the skin and are taken off before bathing daily and replaced afterwards; it provides more continuous monitoring when symptoms are experienced. A pocket sized non-loop monitor is carried around and placed on the chest when experiencing symptoms. Both monitors transfer heart monitoring information from your home telephone and to a reading facility.
• Stress Testing
o Stress Testing is used to evaluate heart function, help detect coronary artery disease and evaluate medical therapy. Depending on the type of test ordered, the patient may be monitored while exercising on a treadmill or after administration of a pharmacological agent. Physicians may also order a stress test to include Cardiolite with Nuclear Imaging to view and evaluate coronary blood flow.
o The American Heart Committee recommends stress testing prior to the initiation of exercise programs in patients over 40 and in all patients with risk factors that increase the probability of CAD.
• Echocardiogram (ECHO)
o Echocardiograms use high-pitched sound waves that bounce off different parts of the heart to create a moving picture. Heart structures and the beating heart can be seen on a video screen. There is no radiation exposure and it is more detailed than an x-ray image.

Neurology Services:

• Electroencephalogram (EEG)
o An EEG records electrical activity of the brain. Highly sensitive monitoring equipment records the activity of neurons through electrodes placed at measured intervals on the scalp. EEGs help physicians to diagnose a variety of neurological conditions from common headaches and dizziness to seizure disorders, strokes and degenerative brain disease. It also may be used to look for organic causes of disabilities in children and psychiatric disorders.
• Electromyography: (EMG):
o EMGs measure the electrical activity of muscles at rest and while contracting. Nerve conduction studies measure the ability of nerves to send electrical signals. Nerve and muscle disorders cause muscles to react improperly to electrical signals. This test helps diagnose diseases that damage nerves, muscle tissue or neuromuscular junctions or the cause of weakness, paralysis and muscle twitching. Examples include carpal tunnel syndrome, peripheral neuropathies, herniated discs, muscle disease, Cerebral Palsy and conditions like Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Guillian-Barre.