Heart and Lung Health
Cardiopulmonary Services include a wide range of therapeutic and diagnostic services to patients with heart and lung disorders.
The Cardiopulmonary Department at HSHS St. Francis Hospital provides a variety of inpatient and outpatient services.
A cardiac event monitor is a device that you control to record the electrical activity of your heart (ECG). This device is about the size of a pager. It records your heart rate and rhythm. Cardiac event monitors are used when you need long-term monitoring of symptoms that occur less than daily. Typically this is worn for 30 days.
A Holter monitor is a small, wearable device that keeps track of your heart rhythm. Your doctor may want you to wear a Holter monitor for one to two days. During that time, the device records all of your heartbeats. A Holter monitor test is usually performed after a traditional test to check your heart rhythm (electrocardiogram), especially if the electrocardiogram doesn't give your doctor enough information about your heart's condition. Your doctor uses information captured on the Holter monitor to figure out if you have a heart rhythm problem. If standard Holter monitoring doesn't capture your irregular heartbeat, your doctor may suggest a wireless Holter monitor, which can work for weeks.
A pharmacological nuclear stress test is a diagnostic test used to evaluate blood flow to the heart. During the test, a small amount of radioactive tracer is injected into a vein. A special camera, called a gamma camera, detects the radiation released by the tracer to produce computer images of the heart.
Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) are lung tests. They show how well your lungs work. They’re noninvasive, which means that the doctor doesn’t cut you or put any tools inside your body.
Respiratory therapists at St. Francis provide oxygen therapy, ventilator management and airway stabilization support services.
Sleep disorders are a serious health concern, as the consequences of the related complications go far beyond missing sleep. St. Francis provides sleep studies to diagnose and treat disorders such as sleep apnea, a disorder experienced when breathing stops or gets very shallow while you are sleeping.
In addition to sleep apnea testing, the sleep lab can also perform the multiple sleep latency test, which is used to diagnose narcolepsy and the maintenance of wakefulness test which measures the ability to remain awake during events tending to cause drowsiness or sleep.
The sleep lab has two rooms with private bathrooms and showers and can accomodate patients as young as age six -- the only local hospital with this capability.
The sleep lab is open Sunday - Friday. To schedule your appointment, please call 217-324-8518. All patients must have a written referral from their physician.
In addition to sleep apnea testing, the sleep lab can also perform the multiple sleep latency test, which is used to diagnose narcolepsy and the maintenance of wakefulness test which measures the ability to remain awake during events tending to cause drowsiness or sleep.
The sleep lab has two rooms with private bathrooms and showers and can accomodate patients as young as age six -- the only local hospital with this capability.
The sleep lab is open Sunday - Friday. To schedule your appointment, please call 217-324-8518. All patients must have a written referral from their physician.
A stress test, also called an exercise stress test, shows how your heart works during physical activity. Because exercise makes your heart pump harder and faster, an exercise stress test can reveal problems with blood flow within your heart. A stress test usually involves walking on a treadmill or riding a stationary bike your heart rhythm, blood pressure and breathing are monitored. Or you'll receive a drug that mimics the effects of exercise. Your doctor may recommend a stress test if you have signs or symptoms of coronary artery disease or an irregular heart rhythm (arrhythmia). The test may also guide treatment decisions, measure the effectiveness of treatment or determine the severity if you've already been diagnosed with a heart condition.