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AHN Cardiovascular Institute at Allegheny Valley Hospital

People with heart conditions turn to Allegheny Valley Hospital for specialized, comprehensive cardiac and heart attack care. Our cardiovascular team in the greater Pittsburgh area provides the full spectrum of care and cardiac rehab for any heart condition using the latest diagnostic and treatment technology. We help you manage your health so you can live a full, active life.

Heart disease services at Allegheny Valley Hospital: Why choose us?

When you turn to the team at Allegheny Valley, you’ll find:

Personalized attention

Our multidisciplinary team is part of the AHN Cardiovascular Institute. We work closely with you to manage heart conditions and prevent complications, keeping your care close to home.

Specialized expertise

We treat many people for atrial fibrillation — an irregular heartbeat — using electrical cardioversion. We also focus on cardiovascular rehabilitation, customized rehab for people who had heart surgery or a cardiac event such as a heart attack.

Comprehensive cardiac imaging

We use the latest diagnostic imaging technology. These detailed pictures of your heart help us make a precise diagnosis and plan the most effective treatments.

Access to clinical trials

You have access to the latest diagnostic and treatment options through clinical trials. Our research-based treatments include new medicines, procedures, and implantable devices that monitor disease progression and offer innovative care. Learn more about the AHN Cardiovascular Research Institute.

Stress testing

We monitor your heart while you exercise, when it’s working harder and pumping faster. This allows us to more easily see any abnormalities or potential issues. 

Convenient location

Allegheny Valley is a cardiovascular hospital located in Natrona Heights, just north of Pittsburgh, PA. It’s convenient for patients in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, and New York who are looking for expert cardiology doctors.

Cardiac rehab at Allegheny Valley Hospital

We offer traditional in-person and virtual at-home options that include a comprehensive, individualized exercise and education program for people with cardiovascular disease, those recovering from a heart attack, heart surgery, or those who have symptomatic peripheral artery disease (PAD). Cardiovascular rehabilitation can keep heart, valve, or peripheral vascular diseases under control, leading to better health along with improvement in quality of life and well-being.

Cardiac rehab specialists

Our multidisciplinary team of clinical exercise physiologists, registered nurses, dietitians, pharmacists, and behavioral health specialists — in cooperation with your doctor — will guide you through your cardiovascular program.

Who benefits from cardiac rehab?

Almost anyone with cardiac or peripheral vascular disease can benefit from cardiovascular rehabilitation. It can help all people at different ages and at different stages of life.

Your doctor may prescribe cardiovascular rehabilitation for:

  • Heart attack.
  • Angioplasty or stenting.
  • Open-heart surgery, including coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) or valve repair or replacement.
  • Heart failure.
  • Heart and/or lung transplant.
  • Implant of a ventricular assist device (LVAD/HVAD).
  • Stable chest pain — documented by a physician.
  • Peripheral artery disease (PAD).

Cardiovascular rehabilitation can also help people who are trying to control obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, or other risk factors for heart disease.

Cardiac rehab exercises: what to expect

During sessions of about one hour, you receive safe exercise training under the watchful eye of our experienced team. Trained professionals will:

  • Monitor you with an electrocardiogram (ECG), tracking heart rate, blood pressure, and other appropriate vital signs to ensure the right level of activity.
  • Work with you to increase your endurance, strengthen your heart and lungs, and decrease symptoms of chest discomfort or leg pain.

The team will guide you through:

  • A warm-up phase to prepare your heart and other muscles for exercise.
  • An active aerobic phase for cardiovascular benefits.
  • Exercises to increase your strength and improve your metabolism.
  • A cool-down phase to safely slow your heart rate and pulse to a pre-exercise level.

Education and post-cardiac rehab care

Cardiovascular rehabilitation includes teaching you about cardiovascular health. The team will:

  • Provide one-on-one and group education as well as counseling about medication compliance and lifestyle changes to improve your health.
  • Help you return to work and a more active lifestyle.
  • Assist with scheduling you for nutritional counseling with a registered dietitian and a certified diabetes educator (if appropriate).
  • Connect you with a behavioral therapist, upon request.

Ongoing benefits of cardiac rehab

Our dedicated staff will educate you on steps you can take to:

  • Maintain the healthy weight recommended by your doctor.
  • Control your cholesterol and blood sugar levels through exercise, making better eating choices, and taking your medication properly.
  • Lower your blood pressure through diet, exercise, and medication.
  • Quit smoking and tobacco use.
  • Reduce your feelings of fatigue.
  • Improve your energy and sense of well-being.

We hope to show you and your family that cardiovascular disease does not mean restricting your activities. Cardiovascular rehabilitation education and lifestyle changes can help you have a meaningful, productive, and health-focused life. 

Inpatient cardiac rehab centers

Our rehabilitation centers have state-of-the-art equipment and monitoring systems, including treadmills, stationary bicycles, recumbent bicycles, recumbent cross trainers, elliptical trainers, stair climbers, rowers, arm ergometers, free weights, resistance bands, and strength-training machines. We offer extended hours to fit your schedule. 

How much does cardiac rehab cost?

Most insurance plans cover the cost of cardiovascular rehabilitation services. We will verify your insurance benefits prior to your initial visit. We will review any out-of-pocket responsibilities you may have and work with your physician’s office for all necessary referrals. You will get valuable guidance from our professionals, and we will work with you one-on-one to develop a personal exercise program. 

For more information or to schedule an appointment for cardiac rehab, contact us at (724) 226-7071.

Heart imaging at Allegheny Valley Hospital

Our cardiovascular doctors use the latest imaging technology to help us diagnose and treat heart conditions. We offer:

Echocardiography

To check your heart structure and examine how the blood flows through your heart.

Transesophageal ultrasound

To get more detailed images of your heart structure and blood vessels by passing a thin tube down your throat and into your esophagus.

Doppler ultrasound

To diagnose blood clots and heart valve defects by examining blood flow.

Nuclear imaging

To get information on heart function and blood flow to the different parts of the heart muscle.

Cardiac CT scan

To check heart structure and structure of the aorta and coronary arteries.

Chest Pain Center and heart attack care

Our team works quickly and efficiently to diagnose and treat people who may be having a heart attack, so we can save more lives. Common symptoms of a heart attack involve pain or discomfort in the center or left side of the chest. This pain or discomfort can last for a few minutes or go away and come back. This can feel like uncomfortable pressure, fullness, or pain. At Allegheny Valley Hospital, our chest pain center can help diagnose the cause of the discomfort and get you the appropriate treatment.

Contact us

Call (412) DOCTORS (412) 362-8677 to request an appointment with an Allegheny Valley Hospital specialist.

Find us

Allegheny Valley Hospital
1301 Carlisle Street
Natrona Heights, PA 15065
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