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Why use BCH? Boulder Community Hospital is the only medical facility in Boulder County to offer leading edge heart care from diagnosis and treatment to rehabilitation and recovery. The hospital's comprehensive heart program is highly regarded for its aggressive, full-scale approach to treating heart disease—America's number one killer. The reason for our high success rate in saving the lives of heart attack victims is fourfold: - rapid response treatment
- experienced physicians and staff
- advanced technology and special facilities
- complete spectrum of care
Rapid Response Treatment 24-hour care Boulder Community is the only hospital in Boulder County with emergency heart care available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Treatment for heart attack is most successful when received within the first two to three hours following an attack. BCH has implemented a "rapid response" treatment plan that places it among the most progressive heart hospitals in the US. Fast action Beginning in the emergency department, the heart team acts swiftly to diagnose the cause of a patient's chest pain. If a heart attack is confirmed, we typically rush the patient to the cardiac catheterization laboratory (cath lab). There, cardiologists and the cardiac cath lab team perform a procedure known as balloon angioplasty or other catheter based procedures, to restore blood flow to the heart muscle. Catheterization can also quickly identify the need for more dramatic interventions, such as emergency open heart surgery. Our physicians believe that having 24-hour-a-day access to a cath lab is one of the main reasons behind the hospital's success in treating heart attacks. Special note to women Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women as well as men. Yet the symptoms affecting women are often less severe than men's and are sometimes fatally mistaken for indigestion. At Boulder Community Hospital, our cardiac team is highly skilled at recognizing the distinctive signs of heart attack in women so life saving treatment can be started immediately. Specialized Facilities 
Cath labs The hospital has the only two interventional cath labs in Boulder County. Here physicians diagnose the type and extent of heart disease and can actually open clogged blood vessels without having to perform surgery. Balloon angioplasty—one of the common procedures performed in the cath lab—has dramatically improved the survival rate from heart attack over the past several years. Surgery If a patient requires surgery, the hospital has a specially equipped open heart surgical suite, dedicated intensive care rooms, a telemetry monitored patient care unit and a full service rehabilitation facility. Electrophysiology lab Boulder Community Hospital has the region’s only electrophysiology (EP) lab, equipped with sophisticated technology for diagnosing and treating cardiac arrhythmias—abnormal heart rhythms. Arrhythmias are problems that affect the electrical system of the heart. Depending on the type of arrhythmia, the heart may beat too slowly or too quickly. Symptoms can include a rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, extreme fatigue, dizziness, or passing out. Without treatment, heart arrhythmias can become life threatening. To diagnose an arrhythmia, the hospital’s electrophysiologist—a cardiologist who has been specially trained to assess and treat electrical problems in the heart—can perform an EP study that looks at the heart's electrical signals and pinpoints the cause and location of the heart rhythm problem. An EP study can also help determine the best treatment option. Depending on the nature and location of the arrhythmia, treatment may include medication, implanting a defibrillator, surgery or a highly specialized EP procedure. Some examples of specialized EP procedures performed in the hospital’s lab include cardiac ablation and pulmonary vein ablation, which is a new treatment for curing atrial fibrillation, the most common type of arrhythmia and a serious risk for stroke. These procedures use tiny catheters that deliver bursts of radiofrequency energy to destroy (ablate) the tissue responsible for the arrhythmia. The hospital’s EP lab is outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment, including an all digital, biplane cardiac imaging system and 3D cardiac mapping technology. Cardiac Rehabilitation 
Long term health After heart problems are corrected, cardiac rehabilitation is the most important step a person can take to resume a full and active life and avoid future heart problems. Cardiac rehabilitation patients participate in: - monitored exercise
- nutritional counseling
- education on adopting heart healthy habits
- learning ways to control blood pressure
- stress reduction and stop-smoking programs
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