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Cardiac services

Iredell Health System offers our community a wide range of heart and vascular care. Our team of cardiologists, vascular surgeons and expert nursing staff offers complete comprehensive care.

About our chest pain certification

Since 2011, Iredell Health System has been a Certified Chest Pain Center. Our chest pain certification shows our commitment to offering the very best care to patients with acute coronary syndrome. According to the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care, "participating facilities are left with more efficient, effective organizations in addition to improved patient outcomes."

Heart care at Iredell

At Iredell, we treat the whole person because heart disease affects your whole life.

Proactive in the fight against cardiovascular disease

Cardiovascular disease is America's number one killer. But in many cases, it can be diagnosed and treated before symptoms occur. Iredell is proactive in the fight against cardiovascular disease by offering health screenings and programs throughout the year.

Do you know the early warning signs of a heart attack? Check out this EHAC brochure for info. Also available in Spanish.


Learn more on the American Heart Association website.

Our mission is to return patients to a full and productive life

When heart disease strikes, our mission is to restore heart function and return our patients to a full and productive life. When a cardiac crisis arises, we have cardiac interventionalists, who act quickly to treat patients with stents and balloons during the onset of a heart attack. Iredell Health System was the first in the county to provide this life-saving technology.

Test your knowledge.

Reviewed 4/20/2023

Cholesterol levels: What helps or hurts?

There are two types of cholesterol found in your blood—one bad, one good. You want less of the bad one—low-density lipoprotein (LDL)—because it builds up in your arteries. But you want more of the good one—high-density lipoprotein (HDL)—because it removes the bad kind from your arteries. Use this quiz to find out what may help or hurt your cholesterol levels.

Butter: Helps or hurts

Hurts. Butter and other dairy products are high in saturated fat. So is meat. Foods that are high in saturated fat can raise the amount of bad cholesterol in your blood. And that raises your risk for a heart attack or a stroke.

Avocados: Helps or hurts

Helps. Avocados contain monounsaturated fat, a heart-healthy fat that helps raise your good cholesterol and lower your bad cholesterol. Olive and canola oils are also good for this.

Doughnuts: Helps or hurts

Hurts. Fried foods, like doughnuts, and commercial baked goods, like cookies and frozen pizza, can contain trans fats from the use of partially hydrogenated oils. Trans fats can increase your levels of bad cholesterol—and lower your levels of good cholesterol.

Walnuts: Helps or hurts

Helps. Walnuts contain polyunsaturated fat, a type of fat that can lower your level of bad cholesterol and raise your level of good cholesterol. Foods high in polyunsaturated fats—including salmon, soybean oil and tofu—often also contain omega fatty acids, which are essential to health.

Exercise: Helps or hurts

Helps. Exercise is good for your cholesterol levels and for your heart health in general. Exercise can help you shed excess pounds, relieve stress and help control your blood pressure. It can also help you quit smoking, a habit that's bad for your cholesterol levels.

You've learned what raises and lowers your cholesterol levels. Now it's time to figure out how to manage your numbers.

How to manage your numbers

Sources

Effective treatment options

We use the most sophisticated technology available that detects early signs of heart disease, thus preventing heart attacks and strokes. Our cardiac imaging technology is so sophisticated that physicians can actually watch your heart function and detect the plaque that may be clogging arteries before symptoms occur. This allows us to diagnose cardiovascular disease quickly so that we can provide effective treatment options. Learn more about our stroke program, too.

Wonder what medications are commonly prescribed for heart patients? Read our PDF.

High Performing Ranking

Iredell Memorial Hospital was ranked “High Performing” by U.S. News & World Report’s 2021-22 Best Hospitals ranking for its treatment of patients in three medical specialty categories: heart attack, heart failure, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

U.S. News produced these rankings in conjunction with RTI International, a leading research organization based in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. The specific rankings were determined based on measures such as risk-adjusted survival, discharge-to-home rates, volume, and quality of nursing, among other patient care-related indicators. Hospitals are rated as high performing, average, or below average, relative to other rated hospitals in treating patients 65 years of age and older.

These rankings can help patients, and their doctors, decide the best place to receive the care they need based on their specific type of procedure or condition.

As the only hospital in Iredell County ranked as high performing, Iredell Memorial Hospital is proud to provide the utmost compassion and care that each individual patient both needs and deserves.

U.S. News & Word Report ranks Iredell high performing in heart failure, heart attack and COPD