A Leader in Cardiovascular Care for the Texas Panhandle Community
Northwest Texas Healthcare System is proud to be a specialized provider for cardiac care. The Heart Hospital at Northwest Texas Healthcare System has a longstanding history of fighting America’s leading cause of death — heart disease. The Heart Hospital is conveniently located on the main hospital campus in Amarillo, Texas.
The Heart Hospital is proud to offer:
- 58 private rooms – Patients enjoy enhanced comfort in a beautiful modern setting that promotes healing.
- Specialized services to fit your needs – Services include prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease to advanced heart surgery, emergency heart and stroke care and rehabilitation.
- Advanced technology – Technologies include ground-breaking devices such as the WATCHMAN™ Implant. WATCHMAN is a device that helps reduce stroke risk in patients with atrial fibrillation.
National Recognition and Accreditations
The Northwest Texas Healthcare accredited Chest Pain Center offers diagnosis and medical treatment of heart attack and suspected heart attack. The center is accredited by the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care (SCPC), an institute of the American College of Cardiology.
U.S. News & World Report has named Northwest Texas Healthcare System as a 2022-2023 High Performing hospital for Heart Attack and Heart Failure. This is the highest award a hospital can earn for U.S. News’ Best Hospitals Procedures and Conditions ratings.
Find a Cardiologist
To find a doctor affiliated with The Heart Hospital at Northwest Texas Healthcare System, contact our free physician referral service at 800-887-1114 or search for a physician online.
Services at The Heart Hospital
The Heart Hospital uses some of the newest innovations and advanced technologies available to treat heart disease.
Heart Surgery
Heart patients choose The Heart Hospital because they trust the reputations of the physicians and clinical staff. At The Heart Hospital, we provide the following heart surgeries:
- Coronary Artery Bypass
- Aortic Valve Replacement
- Mitral Valve Repair/Replacement
- Thoracic Aneurysm Repair
- Off-Pump Surgery (when appropriate)
- Total Coronary Artery Revascularization
- Adult Congenital Cardiac Surgery
- Transmyocardial Revascularization (TMR)
Cardiac Rehabilitation
The Rhythm of Life Cardiac Rehab Center at The Heart Hospital offers a unique, patient-centered program. The program emphasizes a personalized approach to recovery through exercise, education and encouragement.
Learn More About Cardiac Rehab
WATCHMAN™ Implant for Atrial Fibrillation
The WATCHMAN Implant is the only FDA-approved implant proven to reduce stroke risk in people with atrial fibrillation not caused by a heart valve problem. It is implanted through a one-time, minimally invasive procedure. WATCHMAN can often be an alternative for blood thinners.
Medtronic Arctic Front™ Advance Cryoablation System
This cryoballoon technology is used to help stop the erratic electrical signals that cause atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation is a common, yet serious, irregular heart rhythm disorder. Cryoablation can help improve the quality of life for patients and significantly reduce symptoms. Patients have experienced a reduction in atrial fibrillation episodes, palpitations, fatigue, rapid heartbeat, swelling and syncope.
Micra™ Transcatheter Pacing System (TPS)
The Heart Hospital offers the world’s smallest pacemaker for patients with bradycardia. The Micra™ TPS provides patients with the most advanced pacing technology at one-tenth the size of a traditional pacemaker. It is approved for Medicare reimbursement.
Bradycardia is a condition characterized by a slow or irregular heart rhythm, usually fewer than 60 beats per minute. At this rate, the heart is unable to pump enough oxygen-rich blood to the body during normal activity or exercise, causing dizziness, fatigue, shortness of breath or fainting spells. Pacemakers are the most common way to treat bradycardia to help restore the heart’s normal rhythm and relieve symptoms by sending electrical impulses to the heart to increase the heart rate.
Comparable in size to a large vitamin, Northwest Texas Healthcare System has elected to use Medtronic’s Micra TPS because the device is small enough to be delivered through a catheter and implanted directly into the heart with small tines, providing a safe alternative to conventional pacemakers without the complications associated with leads – all while being cosmetically invisible. The Micra TPS is also designed to automatically adjust pacing therapy based on a patient’s activity levels.
Vascular Robotics with the CorPath® System
Northwest Texas Healthcare System performed the first robotic-assisted coronary angioplasty in Texas using the FDA-cleared Corindus CorPath® System. Coronary angioplasty is a procedure used to open a blocked artery to restore normal blood flow to the heart. The Corindus CorPath System is an FDA-approved medical device that enables physicians to perform coronary angioplasty procedures with robotic precision.
During a coronary angioplasty, physicians open a blocked artery and restore blood flow to the heart. It is done by threading a thin tube called a catheter through the femoral artery to the heart. The blocked artery is opened by inflating a tiny balloon that pushes the plaque to the sides of the artery. A stent, which is a small self-expanding, mesh tube, is inserted to prevent the artery from closing again.
By using robotic-assisted vascular technology, cardiologists are able to improve vessel visualization. This gives cardiologists the ability to advance the balloon catheter and place the stent into the artery with more accuracy. Robotic-assisted vascular technology also reduces radiation exposure during the procedure.
LifeVest® Wearable Defibrillator for Abnormal Heart Rhythm
Northwest Texas Healthcare System offers an advanced protection and monitoring system for patients at risk of sudden cardiac arrest: the LifeVest® personal defibrillator. LifeVest continuously monitors the heart and can deliver a treatment shock if it detects a life-threatening abnormal heart rhythm.
There are two main components to LifeVest: a garment and a monitor. The lightweight garment is worn under clothing and contains electrodes that detect arrhythmias and deliver treatment shocks. The monitor is worn around your waist and continuously monitors your heart.
If the device detects a life-threatening abnormal heart rhythm, it sounds an alarm to check if you are responsive. If you are, you have time to respond to the alarm and stop the treatment sequence. If you do not respond and the arrhythmia continues, the device delivers an electrical shock to restore normal heart rhythm. Up to five treatment shocks can be delivered.
LifeVest can be used to provide protection before an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) is implanted or before a heart transplant.
Learn More About Cardiac Testing
ClotTriever® for Treating Deep Vein Thrombosis
ClotTriever is specifically designed to capture and remove large and potentially life-threatening clots from large veins. This can prevent the need for surgery, an ICU stay or clot-busting drugs.