News and Events

The Cardiology team at Weeks Medical Center specializes in diagnosis and non-invasive treatment of all aspects of heart disease. Weeks is committed to working with patients to reduce the incidence of heart disease by promoting a healthy and active lifestyle. At Weeks, we believe it’s important for heart problems to be identified early, so the treatment will ultimately be more successful.

Expert Cardiology Team

With a commitment to increasing cardiac services at Weeks, Dr. David Pelkowski recently joined the hospital as a full-time, hospital-based Cardiologist. He joins fellow Cardiologists, Drs. Emil Pollak and Anil Mukerjee, who provide part-time outpatient care at the hospital. All three cardiologists see patients for office appointments at Weeks. Dr. Pelkowski also consults for patients admitted to the hospital. They all provide cardiac stress testing services and non-invasive therapy. If a patient needs interventional cardiac services such as cardiac catheterization, they are sent to a larger specialty hospital. The cardiology physicians at Weeks Medical Center work with an entire team of medical and administrative professionals who are dedicated to the treatment and prevention of heart disease.

The Cardiology team at Weeks evaluates patients for:

• High blood pressure
• Angina/chest pain
• Shortness of breath
• Irregular heartbeat/palpitations
• Congestive heart failure
• Defibrillators/pacemakers
• Valve disorders

State-of-the-Art Technology

The Cardiology team uses the latest techniques, equipment and procedures to evaluate the nature and extent of cardiac disease and develop a treatment plan that meets the individual needs of each patient.
Weeks’ Echocardiography equipment is the very latest in digital technology that provides a diagnostic image using sound waves to create a moving picture of the heart:

• More detailed than an x-ray
• No radiation exposure
• EchoPAC system sends completed exams electronically and instantaneously
• Saves time, leading to better care at a lower cost

State-of-the-art nuclear medicine procedures are performed in conjunction with stress testing. Exams are performed after administration of an isotope while the camera tracks normal and abnormal isotope activity throughout the heart muscle. With this capability, Weeks can provide cardiac patients timely diagnosis, care and treatment.

Cardiac Stress Testing

At Weeks, our Cardiologists perform cardiac stress tests assisted by specially trained registered nurses. While patients walk on a treadmill connected to an EKG machine, blood pressure readings and heart rhythms are carefully monitored. For patients who are unable to walk, the Cardiologist may use intravenous medications to briefly increase the work of the heart and the blood flow during the test. The Cardiologists then evaluate the results of the stress test and discuss their recommendations for treatment with the patient. Treatment may involve either medications, exercise programs or surgical interventions.

Cardiac Rehabilitation

Weeks’ six week, fully-accredited Cardiac Rehabilitation out-patient program serves patients who have had cardiac-related medical issues such as heart attacks, bypass surgery, coronary artery stenting, stable angina, heart valve repair or a transplant. Through a combination of exercise and education programs, patients learn how to improve and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Quick Response Emergency Care

When a Weeks’ patient is experiencing heart attack symptoms, every minute counts. The EMTs, Paramedics, Emergency Department physicians and nurses follow an emergency protocol for cardiac victims that ensures the best possible chance of saving heart muscle and survival. Developed through Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, the protocol is called STEMI (ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction), which is caused by a blocked artery that feeds the heart muscle. The quicker the patient has the artery opened through medication or angioplasty, the better the chance of survival.
Once identified as a STEMI patient, the ED immediately calls Dartmouth-Hitchcock. When transport by the DHART helicopter is available, the cardiac patient can be at Dartmouth within an hour for emergency angioplasty.

Access to the Finest Cardiology Specialists

Through Weeks’ affiliation with the Cardiology Department at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, patients transferred from Weeks to Dartmouth with serious heart issues have access to one of the finest Cardiology teams in New England. The DHMC Cardiac Department specializes in both surgical and non-surgical treatment of heart disease.
Cardiac surgery treatments at Dartmouth-Hitchcock include:

• Heart bypass surgery
• Heart valve surgery
• Electrophysiology surgery

In addition to surgery, Dartmouth-Hitchcock’s cardiac catheterization laboratory provides the highest level of diagnostics and treatment options in interventional cardiology. The laboratory is staffed 24 hours a day by an advanced response team who expertly handle emergency and emergent procedures.