Round-the-Clock Cardiac Care
South Texas Health System Heart in the Rio Grande Valley is one of the first freestanding cardiology and cardiovascular hospitals in the United States. Our cardiac care teams offer advanced diagnostic testing, noninvasive and invasive treatments, cardiac rehabilitation, and preventive education. Our small size is an excellent and efficient setting for the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease.
Get a Cardiology Referral
If you need a referral to a cardiologist affiliated with South Texas Health System Heart, call the South Texas Health System Reserve and Learn line at 800-879-1033 or search for a physician online.
Nationally Recognized Heart Care
South Texas Health System Heart has been recognized by Healthgrades for excellence in quality in several categories:
- Recipient of the Healthgrades Coronary Intervention Excellence Award™ three years in a row (2020-2022)
- Named among the top 10% in the nation for Cardiology Services and Coronary Interventional Procedures three years in a row (2020-2022)
- Five-Star Recipient for Coronary Bypass Surgery six years in a row (2017-2022)
- Five-Star Recipient for Treatment of Heart Failure four years in a row (2019-2022)
Accredited Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI
South Texas Health System Heart has received accreditation as a Chest Pain Center with primary PCI from the Society of Chest Pain Centers for our care and treatment for patients who present symptoms of a heart attack. The national accreditation is awarded to hospitals for their speed and efficiency in treating chest pain and heart attack symptoms. Hospitals awarded this designation have primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. PCI is commonly known as angioplasty, a procedure used to treat the narrowed coronary arteries found in heart disease.
To receive the enhanced accreditation, a hospital must have a call team of cardiac catheterization laboratory staff and an interventional cardiologist who arrive at the cardiac catheterization lab within a short, pre-determined window of time, day or night. Accredited facilities also must have documented processes designed to maximize treatment time and improve outcomes. Door to Balloon (D2B) time is the time it takes to get a cardiac patient from the hospital entrance to artery-clearing angioplasty. At South Texas Health System Heart, we consistently strive for and achieve D2B times below the national standard. Our speed in treating heart attack patients saves lives.
Congestive Heart Failure Program
The South Texas Advanced Cardiac Care (STACC) program is a joint effort between South Texas Health System Heart and the Heart Clinic. STACC is dedicated to providing innovative, evidence-based treatment for congestive heart failure (CHF) at several convenient locations in the Rio Grande Valley. A progressive chronic heart condition, CHF affects your heart's ability to pump blood. As a result, your vital organs are starved of the oxygen and nutrients they need to function. Diagnostic services at STACC help CHF patients avoid multiple re-admissions to the hospital or emergency room. Patients receive one-on-one education support, regular phone calls from their physicians, and healthy-living advice.
Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a form of partial cardiopulmonary bypass at the bedside that uses a pump and artificial lung to function as the heart and lungs during the healing process from various injuries.
Intravascular Lithotripsy
South Texas Health System Heart now offers intravascular lithotripsy (IVL), a new technology which enables physicians to break up problematic calcium deposits in arteries using sonic pressure waves.
Get a Cardiology Referral
If you need a referral to a cardiologist affiliated with South Texas Health System Heart, call the South Texas Health System Reserve and Learn line at 800-879-1033 or search for a physician online.