 What Will it Take to Win Your Heart?
How About Award-Winning Cardiac Care?
MassPRO 2006 High Reliability Cardiac Care Award
Merrimack Valley Hospital (MVH) is proud to announce that it recently received the MassPRO 2006 High Reliability Cardiac Care Award for demonstrating 100% reliability in Heart Attack and Heart Failure Care. MVH was one of only three hospitals in Massachusetts to be recognized for high reliability in these two quality categories.
Emergency Care for Your Heart
If you experience chest pain and fear you may be having a heart attack, trust your heart to Merrimack Valley Hospital. We offer state-of-the-art cardiac care, experienced cardiologists, a dedicated team of clinical professionals, and all private rooms. Quality, commitment and heart - you'll find all three at Merrimack Valley Hospital. Cardiology Services and award-winning quality: We offer the area's leading cardiologists along with a full range of diagnostic cardiology procedures and non-surgical management of cardiac disease, including:
Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) - A 12-lead electrical picture of the heart beat measuring the rate and regularity of heartbeats, the size and position of the chambers, the presence of any damage to the heart, and the effects of drugs or devices used to regulate the heart (such as a pacemaker). ECGs are used to assess the potential for dysrhythmias/arrhythmias (irregular heart rhythms) in certain medical situations.
Exercise Stress Testing (Exercise Tolerance Test or ETT) - This non-invasive test involves walking on a treadmill at gradually increasing speeds while your general condition, heart rate, blood pressure and electrocardiogram are monitored.
Chemical or Pharmacologic Stress Testing (Chemical or Pharmacologic ETT) – Medication via intravenous lines may be used under certain circumstances when walking is not an option. These are paired with either MPI or Echocardiography (see below). EKG, heart rate, and blood pressure are monitored throughout.
Nuclear Stress Testing (MPI- Myocardial Perfusion Imaging) – Pictures are taken of the blood being perfused through your heart after it has been stressed via exercise on the treadmill or chemically. This test is a comparative study and pictures are taken twice-once after the stress teat and again after a non-stress (resting) period. This comparison of how the blood perfuses gives a multitude of cardiac information, and is a good screening test for coronary artery disease.
Echocardiography (Echo) - An ultrasound of the heart to image the chambers, valves, wall motion and surrounding structures. It can measure cardiac output and is a sensitive test for inflammation around the heart (pericarditis). It can also be used to detect abnormal anatomy or infections of the heart valves.
Stress Echocardiography or Stress Echo (ETT by exercise or pharmacologic) - with ultrasound pictures of the heart. This is done to assess the heart muscles ability to contract during increased stress.
Transesophageal Echocardiography (TEE) – With mild sedation and the expert guidance of a Cardiologist, a specialized ultrasound is passed into the food pipe (esophagus), and an ultrasound is preformed of the heart. This allows for additional information about the anatomy of the heart from a different perspective.
Bubble Echocardiography - is an Echocardiogram using harmless saline bubbles. After the initial ultrasound pictures are taken, an I.V. line is started in the arm. A saline bubble solution is injected through the I.V. line while more images are taken. This test is done to evaluate the correct flow of blood through the chambers of the heart.
24-Hour Holter Monitoring - A recording of the electrical heart beat is performed for a 24-hour period. This gives the ability to look at the regularity of the heart beat over an extended period of time and during activities of daily living. These are scanned and analyzed for prompt reporting of results.
Meet Our Cardiologists
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Kenneth Adams, MD, FACC
(978) 521-3288
Dr. Adams is board certified in Cardiology Vascular Disease and Internal Medicine. He earned his medical degree from Cornell University, NY. He completed his internship and residency at Jewish Hospital of St. Louis, then completed his Fellowship at New England Deaconess Hospital. Dr. Adams has additional training in Nuclear Cardiology and Cardiac CT. He also serves as Medical Director at Pentucket Medical Associates..
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Nadeem A. Afridi, MD, PhD
(978) 521-8734
Dr. Afridi is board certified in Internal Medicine with a sub-specialty in Cardiovascular Disease. He earned his medical degree from the University of Sindh, Dow Medical College, Karachi, Pakistan. He completed his residency at Boston University Medical Center and his fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA. He also earned a PhD in pathology from Boston University School of Medicine. Dr. Afridi is now a primary investigator for a large population-based study to prevent heart disease in low-income communities. His motto is, "Why take pills when you can treat heart disease with a healthy lifestyle?"
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Seth Bilazarian MD, FACC
(978) 521-3288
Dr. Bilazarian is board certified in Cardiovascular Disease, Interventional Cardiology, Nuclear Cardiology, Internal Medicine, Vascular Medicine, Endovascular Medicine, and Vascular Ultrasound (RPVI). He earned his medical degree from University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA. He completed residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD, and Clinical and Interventional Cardiology Fellowships at Boston University Medical Center.
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Salman Ghiasuddin, MD
(978) 521-8734
Dr. Ghiasuddin is board certified in Interventional Cardiology, Nuclear Cardiology, and Internal Medicine. He earned his medical degree from Allama Iqbal Medical College (AIMC), Punjab University Lahore, Pakistan. He completed his residency at St. Luke's/Roosevelt Hospital Center, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, NY. Dr. Ghiasuddin completed his fellowship at St. Elizabeth's Medical Center of Boston, Tuft's University School of Medicine, Boston, MA.
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Sunny Srivastava, MD, FACC
(978) 521-3288
Dr. Srivastava is board certified in Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Disease and Nuclear Cardiology. He earned his medical degree from Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA. He completed his internship, residency and fellowship at Tufts-New England Medical Center.
Shih-Te Wen, MD, PhD
(978) 521-8734
Dr. Wen is board certified in Internal Medicine. He earned his medical degree from National Taiwan University in Taipei,Taiwan. After completing a residency in internal medicine there, he secured a PhD in biological and biomedical sciences-genetics- at Harvard University . Dr Wen completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for Blood Research, Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School then completed a residency in Internal Medicine at Brigham & Women's Hospital. He completed a research fellowship as well as a clinical fellowship at the Cardiovascular Institute of University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Pennsylvania.
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