Piedmont Rockdale Hospital’s cardiology department has earned an additional three-year term of accreditation by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) in Echocardiography in the area of Adult Transthoracic. The department, which has been continuously accredited by the IAC since 1988, completed an extensive application and review process that assesses metrics and validates demonstration of consistent quality care and dedication to improvement.
Echocardiography, also called Echo, is a painless test that uses ultrasound to create a moving picture of the heart. This allows a cardiologist to see how well the heart’s chambers and valves are working.
Piedmont Rockdale echocardiography technicians undergo extensive training to gain skills in the most effective echocardiography studies in order to examine heart muscle contractions, blood flow within the heart, to assess injury from a previous heart attack, to identify blood clots in the heart, or identify fluid buildup in the pericardium, or the sac around the heart.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly half (47%) of Americans have at least one risk factor that contributes to heart disease: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in men and women in the United States, with one death every 37 seconds.
The use of echocardiography to diagnose heart problems and/or monitor changes of the heart helps cardiologists determine if there is a need for additional testing, as well as the next steps in treatment.
Piedmont Rockdale has a variety of cardiac and preventative health services available to patients in order to help them lower their risk of heart disease and to continue to lead healthy and active lives after a diagnosis of heart disease. These include general cardiology, interventional cardiology, heart failure clinic, advanced cardiovascular imaging services, electrophysiology, and cardiac rehabilitation.
