Cardiovascular advances

Cardiologist James Gwinn, M.D., places a stent in a patient in the Baptist Heart Center cardiac catheterization laboratory.

Western Baptist Hospital is the area’s premier heart care center. Since bringing open heart surgery to western Kentucky in 1985, we have performed more than 8,800 open heart procedures, and we perform more than 3,000 procedures in the cardiac cath labs each year. Our cardiovascular program is among the most respected in Kentucky.

Long recognized as western Kentucky’s leader in cardiac care, Western Baptist now has joined with the state’s first certified stroke center to advance cardiovascular care in this region.

Cardiovascular advances include:

Neurologist John Grubbs, M.D., consults with U of L neurologist Kerri Remmel, M.D., via the hospital’s robotic telenetwork.

Robotic telemedicine network for stroke care:  A partnership with University of Louisville Health Care brings the state’s top stroke specialists to western Kentucky through a robot telemedicine network.
History of cardiac firsts:  Advances, including the first cardiac catheterization procedure, have made Western Baptist the region’s heart care leader.
Awards, honors and accreditations:  Western Baptist is the region’s only nationally-accredited chest pain center.

The Baptist Heart Center opened in 2007 and is located adjacent to the hospital’s Emergency department, where most cardiac emergencies are first diagnosed. Physicians are provided access to leading-edge technologies in the $20 million, 79,000-square-foot structure.