Cardiac Services

The cardiac care team at the Loudermilk Heart and Vascular Center and Cardiovascular Consultants of South Georgia has the expertise and experience necessary to successfully diagnose and treat cardiovascular disease.

Advanced Cardiovascular Diagnostics

Archbold provides the following tests to effectively diagnose a variety of heart and vascular conditions:

Diagnostic catheterizations: A cardiac catheterization involves placing a long, thin tube in the groin or other area of the body to reach and examine the blood vessels.
Electrocardiogram (ECG): This noninvasive device closely monitors the heart’s electrical activity to identify any abnormalities, such as irregular heartbeat or heart rhythm and other issues.
24-hour Holter monitoring: This wearable ECG is used to record the heart’s electrical activity over a 24-hour period, including heartbeat frequency, rhythm and other heart-related activities.
Exercise/stress testing: Used mostly to identify narrowed or blocked arteries, stress tests involve exercising for a period of time while heart rhythm and blood pressure are monitored.
Stress echocardiograms: Similar to an exercise test, this noninvasive assessment measures how well the heart muscle is working, but it uses ultrasound imaging.
Transesophageal and transthoracic echocardiograms: A transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) is a noninvasive scanning device placed over the chest to record the heart’s activity. A transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) requires guiding an ultrasound probe down the esophagus to capture images of the heart.

Advanced Cardiovascular Treatment

Archbold provides the following procedures to effectively treat a variety of heart and vascular conditions:

Balloon angioplasty: This procedure involves placing a catheter with an attached balloon inside a blocked or narrowed artery to increase blood flow to the heart. The pathway widens when the balloon expands.
CardioMEMSTM HF System: Heart failure occurs when the heart can no longer pump blood effectively. This implantable device delivers important information to doctors that helps them know whether to adjust a patient’s medication.
Cardio-oncology: This branch of cardiac care monitors cancer patients’ heart health. Chemotherapy and radiation treatment increase the risk of heart problems, including heart failure and other cardiovascular diseases.
Coronary stenting: This procedure, often performed during an angioplasty, involves placing a metal mesh tube inside narrowed arteries to widen the pathway and maintain blood flow to the heart.
Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs): ICDs are placed in the chest and connected to the heart with wires. Electrical impulses pass through the wires to correct irregular heartbeats.
Pacemaker placement, including Micra™ AV: Pacemakers are small electronic devices placed under the skin on the chest to regulate slow or irregular heart rhythms. These often are a result of atrial fibrillation, or AFib. One of many advanced technologies available at Archbold, the Micra™ AV is the smallest wireless pacemaker available today.
Peripheral vascular interventions: Conditions that affect the vascular system, such as peripheral artery disease and abdominal aortic aneurysm, can be life-threatening. Archbold cardiologists can perform a variety of interventions and prescribe medications to help blood flow efficiently through arteries and veins.