Cardiovascular

When coronary artery disease strikes, the arteries narrow and the heart receives less blood. This can lead to symptoms resulting in a heart attack. At Lake Forest Hospital our cardiovascular specialists can open these blockages and restore healthy blood flow to the heart. In addition, our Vascular Surgeons and Interventional Radiologists can treat blockages in the head, torso and limbs using state-of-the-art equipment in our new Cardiac Catheterization Lab.

Atherosclerosis, the “silent killer,” can develop over decades and go completely unnoticed until a crisis. Lake Forest Hospital was the first in Illinois to install a dual-source CT scanner to detect artery blockages in the entire body with extreme accuracy. This is performed non-invasively and using less time and medication thus reducing the risks to patients.

A Lake Forest Hospital Interventional Neuroradiologist also performed the first “coil” procedure in Lake County to treat a brain aneurysm eliminating the need for major brain surgery.

We are committed to the prevention and education of cardiovascular disease in our community, offering a free vascular screening and education program, Dare to C.A.R.E, to detect carotid artery disease, aortic aneurysms and peripheral artery disease. We support healthy lifestyle choices through our Wellness 180o and cardiac rehabilitation programs. Our nutritional counseling and exercise programs at the Lake Forest Health and Fitness Centers round out our holistic approach to cardiovascular health.

Dare to C.A.R.E. program—Lake Forest Hospital has partnered with the national Dare to C.A.R.E. program to offer free vascular screenings to community members. The Dare to C.A.R.E. program, which screens the carotid artery, abdominal aortic aneurysm, renal artery, and extremity artery, takes place over two evenings and is held at the Lake Forest campus. Dare to C.A.R.E. screenings are open to all adults over the age of 60 or adults over the age of 50 with risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, abnormal cholesterol, family history of heart attack or stroke and/or a history of smoking.

The program’s first night is a mandatory educational dinner seminar, held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., led by Lake Forest Hospital physicians specializing in the prevention, early detection and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. On the second evening, attendees return at a pre-assigned time for their testing and screening ultrasound, which is quickly followed by a meeting with a vascular physician or nurse practitioner who reviews their results. Pre-assigned appointments are scheduled every 10 minutes from 5:15 to 9 p.m.

Available program dates for 2008—November 18th and 19th, 2008

To Register—Participants must register in advance for this free program and space is limited to 90 participants per screening. No walk-ins accepted. Please call our Dare to C.A.R.E. Hotline at (847) 535-7474. For more information, call Kathleen Rylance, DNP, APN, CNP, Dare to C.A.R.E. Program Manager at (847) 535-6721 or krylance@lfh.org.