Contact: Susan Barber Lindquist
715-838-3012
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. –– One American dies every 32 seconds from disorders of the heart and blood vessels. Echocardiographic testing to evaluate the heart’s structure and blood flow is useful to detect and manage many types of heart disease.
Luther Midelfort has been accredited by the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Echocardiography Laboratories (ICAEL). This is the fifth time Luther Midelfort in Eau Claire has been accredited. Accreditation is in effect for three years.
Mobile echocardiography services also have been provided by Luther Midelfort for several years throughout west-central Wisconsin. Accredited echocardiography is offered at:
• Luther Midelfort Chippewa Valley: Chippewa Falls and Bloomer
• Luther Midelfort Northland: Barron and Rice Lake
• Luther Midelfort Oakridge: Osseo
• Red Cedar Medical Center: Menomonie
• Chippewa Valley Hospital: Durand
Echocardiography is a complex imaging technique that relies on the experience and training of the physician and sonographer. Their interpretive and technical abilities determine the diagnostic accuracy of an echocardiographic examination.
The ICAEL has developed an accreditation program that evaluates the quality of these and other critical elements of an echocardiography laboratory.
In 1997, Luther Midelfort was the first echocardiography lab to be accredited in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Accreditation recognizes commitment to high quality patient care and quality diagnostic testing.
At Luther Midelfort, the laboratory has been awarded accreditation for:
• Adult transthoracic echocardiogram: Evaluates the structure and functions of the heart and associated blood vessels. Images are taken through the chest wall. Luther Midelfort also provides this service in Barron, Bloomer, Durand, Menomonie and Osseo.
• Adult stress echocardiogram: Evaluates heart function by combining an exercise (stress) test along with a transthoracic echocardiogram. Patients with physical limitations that cause them to be unable to exercise may be given a medication to simulate the effects of exercise on the heart. Luther Midelfort also provides this service in Durand.
• Adult transesophageal echocardiogram: Evaluates the function and small detailed structures of the heart and associated vessels. Images are taken by passing a tube into the esophagus. A transesophageal echocardiogram, or TEE, is commonly used in conjunction with heart surgery to monitor the heart during operations.
Dr. Regis Fernandes, cardiologist
Dr. Regis Fernandes, a cardiologist and medical director of Luther Midelfort’s echocardiography lab, noted that this noninvasive test has become one of the gold standard diagnostic tools in cardiology.
“By following national standards required for accreditation, Luther Midelfort’s echocardiography laboratory fulfills our commitment to patients all over this region to provide quality healthcare,” Fernandes said.
An estimated 10 million echocardiograms are performed annually in the United States. The ICAEL was established with the support of the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE), the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the Society of Pediatric Echocardiography (SOPE) to provide a peer review mechanism to encourage and recognize quality echocardiographic evaluations by a process of voluntary accreditation.
A nonprofit organization, the ICAEL is dedicated to ensuring high quality patient care and to promoting healthcare. Participation in the accreditation process is voluntary. Accreditation status signifies that the facility has been reviewed by an independent agency, which recognizes the healthcare organization’s commitment to quality testing for the diagnosis of heart disease.
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In partnership with Mayo Clinic, Luther Midelfort offers a full range of quality medical services, including cardiac and orthopedic surgery, cancer and trauma care programs. Through a network of community-based healthcare providers in west-central Wisconsin, Luther Midelfort provides access to experts close to home.
