University Hospital is mid-Missouri's only cardiac transplant center. In addition to these important firsts, heart specialists at University Hospital are attentive to the less-dramatic details that mean better patient care. For example, until recently cardiac catheterization patients had to remain immobile for eight hours after a procedure to prevent bleeding from the arterial access point. Now, University Hospital patients are able to walk and move around just two short hours after their catheterization, thanks to a new technique using collagen plugs to seal the artery. This innovative technology makes for a speedier and more comfortable recovery.
Cardiologists offer a full range of diagnostic and nonsurgical treatments for heart disease.
Echocardiography EKG Electrophysiology studies Holter monitoring and cardiac event monitoring Nuclear tests. Surgeons perform more than 1,200 operations each year. University Hospital offers cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation levels I, II and III to assist patients in their recovery in the hospital and after they return home. The medical team includes a cardiologist, a cardiology nurse and one or two technologists. The outreach program has grown from one clinic location in 1991 to more than a dozen today.