Wellstar Heart Care

In Latoya Jordan’s world, “family comes first” is more than a mantra. It’s a way of life, as a wife and mother raising four fearless daughters.

While living in New York, Latoya learned how to be strong, determined and face challenges head-on — lessons she now instills in her own children. These traits proved useful when the Jordans resettled in the South at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But between the big move and preparing the girls for virtual school, Latoya found it difficult to squeeze in any ‘me time.’ Caring for her little ones often led to putting her own health last.

However, with two different heart conditions — a murmur and high blood pressure — the mother needed tailored care to live her fullest life.

With the help of Wellstar, Latoya got expert care to stay heart healthy, right in her new neighborhood. But beyond that, she found a trusted healthcare family that had her covered when it came to her well-being.

Remote heart monitoring technology is helping Wellstar patients prevent heart failure flare-ups by keeping their providers up-to-date with real-time information about their health.

The CardioMEMS HF system monitors pulmonary artery pressure. Changes in pressure are an early indicator of worsening heart failure, but providers can often address the issue through some easy adjustments to the patient’s care. 

The system gives patients and providers the opportunity to be more proactive in heart care, reducing hospitalizations and helping prevent acute heart failure episodes.

“With heart failure, as with all health issues, it’s best to take preventative action and stop problems from occurring,” Dr. Hans Lee, medical director for Wellstar's congestive heart failure program, said. “Monitoring your heart health and staying in touch with your cardiologist can help keep you out of the hospital and keep your heart in shape.”

The device is implanted by an interventional cardiologist. Once the sensor is implanted, patients take daily readings at their convenience, saving trips to the doctor’s office. Physicians then review the data and contact the patient if needed.

Wellstar offers this technology at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, Wellstar North Fulton Hospital, Wellstar Paulding Hospital and Wellstar Douglas Hospital. 

Consult with your Wellstar cardiologist to learn whether the CardioMEMS system could be beneficial for your care plan. To find a cardiologist, visit our heart care page. 

New Shockwave technology at Wellstar is expanding access to life-saving heart care.

If a patient has a complex calcium blockage in their heart arteries, this innovative technology will break up the blockage using sonic pressure waves. It safely cracks the calcium to prepare the artery for stent placement, keeping treatment efficient when time matters most. 

Calcium makes the blockage more difficult to reopen with traditional treatments, including balloons. Previously, if a patient’s artery could not be opened using a balloon, the patient would need to be transferred to Kennestone Regional Medical Center with open heart surgery capabilities to undergo an atherectomy — where a physician would break up the blockage with a small drill or laser.  With this new shockwave technology, open heart surgery services are not needed as a backup.

Wellstar’s talented and experienced interventional cardiologists are currently using Shockwave technology, also known as intravascular lithotripsy, to treat complex blockages at Kennestone, Cobb, Douglas, Paulding, North Fulton and West Georgia hospitals, allowing complex care to be performed expeditiously, safely and close to home.

Visit wellstar.org/heartcare to learn more about how Wellstar can keep your heart healthy.