Fellowship in Cardiovascular Emergencies

University Hospital:

The medical facilities are fully accredited by the American Medical Association, the American College of Surgeons, and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. The main University Hospital consists of 632 beds on eight floors, is organized along the service center concept, and employees a staff of 4,255 people in addition to the 2,500 faculty and students.

As a tertiary care, Level I trauma facility, the University Hospital draws patients both from the local population and a large referral base throughout Virginia and neighboring states. In a typical year, the hospital has over 28,000 admissions, 30% of which enter through the Emergency Department. Every major medical specialty service is available in the University of Virginia Health System.  back to top

Department of Emergency Medicine:

The Department of Emergency Medicine was granted full departmental status at the University of Virginia in 1995. Fifteen full-time faculty members staff the Emergency Department twenty-four hours per day. All are ABEM-board certified in either Emergency Medicine or Pediatric Emergency Medicine. The Emergency Department treats approximately 60,000 patients annually and has a total of 39 beds. Specific areas within the Emergency Department have been designated for the care of special populations. The Chest Pain Center, The Pediatric ED, The Women's Center for Emergency Care, and three major resuscitation areas provide specific locations for subspecialty emergency care. A major renovation of the Department's physical plant was completed in July 2001.

The Department of Emergency Medicine intends to be a center of excellence in the national community of academic Emergency Medicine.  back to top

The Heart and Vascular Center:

The Heart and Vascular Center is a unit within the University of Virginia Health System that combines the expertise of a strong multidisciplinary group of physicians with the latest in medical technology for the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. The physicians of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine provide a full spectrum of inpatient and outpatient services. A few of these include:

• The Noninvasive Diagnostic Laboratory - Approximately 9500 noninvasive tests each year are performed in this laboratory including 4500 echo-Doppler procedures, 3800 exercise stress tests, 600 pharmacologic stress tests, and 2500 nuclear cardiology procedures.
  
  
• The Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory - Nearly 4200 procedures are performed in three laboratories on a yearly basis. These include diagnostic and interventional procedures - right and left heart catheterization, left ventricular and coronary cineangiography, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, atherectomy, myocardial biopsy, and balloon valvuloplasty.
  
  
• The Coronary Care Unit - The Coronary Care Unit has ten beds and provides the highest level of care for the care of patients with acute coronary syndromes, heart failure, and arrhythmias.
  
  
• The Cardiology Clinic - This clinic is a well-organized outpatient setting for the outpatient care of patients with cardiovascular diseases. Cardiology faculty physicians and fellows staff this clinic which provides continuity care for patients evaluated in the Chest Pain Center and by inpatients services.                                           back to top

Chest Pain Center:

The Chest Pain Center, one of the first in the Commonwealth of Virginia, was established

 in 1992.

Located within the Emergency Department, the CPC is a discreet 5-bed unit focused on the care of patients presenting with cardiovascular emergencies. It is equipped with 12-lead electrocardiographic and continuous ST-segment monitoring systems. The dual purposes of initial management and stabilization as well as the observation of patients at low to intermediate risk of acute coronary syndromes are served in the CPC.

The CPC is staffed by Emergency Medicine faculty physicians and specialized nurses with training in emergency cardiovascular care. Emergency Medicine and other rotating residents are important contributors in the care of CPC patients. Cardiology consultation services are available around the clock every day.

A variety of research projects and clinical process improvement initiatives are always underway in the CPC. Collaboration between the Department of Emergency Medicine and the Heart Center has been the key to the CPC's continued success.   back to top