The Cardiac Care and Stroke Program at Baptist Health Louisville

Baptist Health Louisville has trained professionals ready around the clock to help with emergencies, and the hospital’s special teams for heart attack and stroke patients are recognized by the American Heart Association for their expertise.

Accredited Stroke Care

Baptist Health Louisville received a four-star rating for quality care in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ quality ratings system. Averaging 750 stroke patients annually, Baptist Health Louisville has the highest volume of stroke patients in the region for a single facility, and has also achieved the American Heart Association’s Get with the Guidelines: Target Stroke Gold Plus Elite, placing it in the top tier of acute stroke care hospitals.

The hospital is home to some of the most experienced neurologists in Kentucky, including Stroke Medical Director, Alex Abou-Chebl, MD, who was the first in the commonwealth to offer a stent retriever device. A multidisciplinary team works together to provide immediate comprehensive, life-saving stroke care.

In 2017, Baptist Health completed its implementation of Epic, an award-winning electronic health record system, at all of its facilities in Kentucky, including physician practices and urgent care locations. Patients at any of Baptist’s facilities in Kentucky can now count on their information being readily available to other Baptist Health care team members within the state.

Baptist Health Louisville is dedicated to educating the community on stroke warning signs and the importance of calling 911 for quicker intervention. This commitment to community education has paid off, and the mode of arrival for stroke patients to the hospital exceeds the national average, with close to 50 percent arriving by ambulance. In addition, the hospital has initiated the Spoke Hub model for stroke care, with transfer agreements with four outlying facilities, including Baptist Health Floyd, Baptist Health La Grange, Hardin Memorial Health and King’s Daughters Hospital in Madison, Ind. Approximately 17 percent of the hospital’s stroke cases are transferred from other hospitals.

Baptist Health’s Acute Rehabilitation Program

Baptist Health’s Acute Rehabilitation program takes a team approach to care that involves a variety of specialists to help patients set goals for treatment — and for their return home. The rehabilitation physician oversees and coordinates individual rehabilitation, with input from a team that includes rehabilitation nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, therapeutic recreation specialists, social workers, psychologists, chaplains and dietitians. The hospital’s team of rehabilitation specialists works with patients and their families to plan treatment and set goals, including:

• Increased movement
• Improved communication skills
• Addressing emotional concerns
• Increased independence in personal care and homemaking skills
• Developing new leisure time pursuits and participating in group activities
• Arranging for a return home
• Continuing rehabilitation through outpatient or home health services

Baptist Health Louisville has also earned national accreditation from The Joint Commission as a Certified Primary Stroke Center for Excellence in its neuroscience program. The hospital’s Acute Rehabilitation program is also accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities.

Tops in Cardiac Care

Baptist Health Louisville’s highly trained cardiovascular surgeons perform more than 500 open-heart surgeries per year, with expertise in coronary artery bypass grafts, complex valve repair and replacement surgeries, and aortic aneurysm and atrial fibrillation surgeries. In addition to standard open-heart procedures, Baptist’s cardiovascular surgeons are trained in minimally invasive procedures, including off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) surgery.

Open heart patients at Baptist Health Louisville can recover and recuperate in added privacy and comfort in the 10,000-square-foot Cardiac Care Center. The center features a six-bed open heart unit for surgical recovery and a 12-bed cardiovascular unit where patients are moved after initial recovery. Conveniently located on the same floor as surgery, the focus is on patient-centered care. The hospital also features a non-invasive vascular laboratory and was among the first hospitals in the nation to care for patients immediately after vascular surgery in monitored beds on a vascular unit.

At the Forefront of Cutting-edge Technology and Care:

First in state to implant naturally dissolving heart stents.

First in Louisville to offer minimally invasive surgery to repair abdominal aortic aneurysms.

One of first in Kentucky to offer transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedure as a minimally invasive alternative for high-risk patients.

Dedicated TAVR coordinator.

One of only two hospitals in Kentucky accredited by the American Heart Association as a Mission: Lifeline Heart Attack Receiving Center.

Dedicated ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) coordinator.