About Duke Heart Center
Healing Hearts. Changing Lives.
If you or someone you love has heart disease, you're not alone. Heart disease affects men and women, children and adults, people of all ages and from all ethnic groups -- more than 60 million people living in the United States today have some form of heart disease.
But there's good news: State-of-the-art cardiac care like that provided by Duke Heart Center helps thousands of heart patients to lead longer, healthier lives. Duke Heart Center's decades of experience in caring for patients with heart disease have established it as one of the world's leading programs in cardiac care, research, and education.
Our Mission
The mission of the Duke Heart Center is to achieve the highest level of excellence in patient care, research, and education in the science and delivery of cardiovascular medicine through a collaborative, integrated and multidisciplinary approach. The Heart Center will provide seamless and efficient care to its patients through the care continuum.
What Sets Us Apart
In the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease, all medical facilities are not alike. Duke Heart Center's program has earned its ranking as one of the nation's leading centers of cardiac care in many ways.
Experience. Duke exceeds all nationally recommended volume guidelines for medical facilities and doctors performing angioplasty and open heart surgery. As studies have shown, medical facilities with the most experience performing angioplasties and open heart surgery have the greatest success rates with these procedures. Duke physicians follow thousands of heart patients, tracking how well they do as their heart disease is treated. The Duke Databank for Cardiovascular Disease is the largest and oldest heart disease databank of its kind in the world. With the knowledge of the databank's 200,000 cases at their fingertips, Duke physicians draw on decades of experience to help heart patients and their families decide which treatment options are most appropriate for them.
Qualifications. Duke has more than 60 board-certified cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, and cardiac anesthesiologists, and is widely recognized as one of the nation's top hospitals in cardiology. All Heart Center nurses are ACLS (advanced cardiac life support) certified; many hold CCRN (critical care registered nurse) credentials. Duke Hospital has received full accreditation with commendation from the JCAHO (Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations).
Results. The expertise and experience of the Duke Heart Center add up to better outcomes for our patients. For example, the Duke Heart Center's bypass surgery patients have an expected risk-adjusted mortality rate of 5.35 percent (based on risk-adjustment models published in peer-reviewed heart journals and applied to Duke patients by the Duke Databank for Cardiovascular Disease). However, the Duke Heart Center's actual mortality rate is 2.5 percent, less than half the projected rate.
Research. Breakthroughs at Duke can be rapidly transferred into treatments that directly benefit patients. Literally hundreds of basic and clinical scientists, physicians, and other health care professionals work together every day to gain more knowledge about the causes of heart disease and how best to treat it. This kind of collaborative experience has made Duke Heart Center a national and international leader in cardiovascular research--with many "firsts" that have directly benefited Duke patients.
Programs and People. Duke Heart Center offers a complete range of cardiac care services and clinical treatment programs, including a specialized chest pain unit for diagnosis and emergency treatment 24 hours a day. Every patient also has access to a multidisciplinary health care team that includes physicians, nurses, physical therapists, dieticians, and social workers, among others. As a leading academic medical center, Duke has experts in every medical specialty, who work together to address each patient's unique needs. And as part of Duke University Health System, Duke Heart Center can provide patients a complete continuum of care, including prevention and rehabilitation programs, medical and surgical interventions, and home care.
Patient Satisfaction. According to a survey conducted annually by an independent company, 98 percent of Duke Heart Center patients were either satisfied or extremely satisfied with the care they received, and would recommend Duke to their family and friends.
Our People
Duke Heart Center includes a staff of more than 700 people
-- all working toward one goal: caring for heart patients. From internationally renowned physicians to specialized cardiac care nurses to dedicated volunteers, Duke Heart Center strives to bring world-class medical expertise and compassion to the care of every patient.
In diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation, the health care specialists at Duke are people who care about their patients -- and who are dedicated to improving not only the length, but the quality of life for each and every Duke heart patient.
At Duke, every heart patient is treated by a full team of health care specialists who work under the direction of the patient's attending doctor. Duke Heart Center has more than 60 board-certified cardiologists, cardiac anesthesiologists, and cardiac surgeons -- all highly trained in their fields. In fact, Duke physicians are widely recognized among the most highly respected heart doctors in the country.
Among the many other valuable members of the Duke Heart Center team are nurses, advanced practice nurses, physician associates, social workers, dieticians, and the chaplain.
Click here for a listing of heart center physicians.
How to Find Us
Duke Heart Center provides care at 5 primary locations on and near the Duke University Medical Center campus in Durham. They are:
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Duke Center for Living, Durham, NC 27710 |
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Duke Health Center at North Duke St., Durham, NC 27704 |
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Duke Health Center at Southpoint, Durham, NC 27713 |
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Duke South Hospital Clinic, Durham, NC 27710 |
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Duke Cardiology of Raleigh, Raleigh, NC 27609 |
In addition, Duke Heart Center has a statewide network of affiliated clinics, hospitals, and physicians. If you would like more information, call (919) 416-DUKE or toll-free 1-888-ASK-DUKE.
When you make an appointment for heart care at Duke, be sure to let your phone representative know if you need more information about the location of your clinic visit or procedure.
How to Find Out More
For more detailed information about how to access the services of the Duke Heart Center, please call the Duke Referral Center at (919) 416-DUKE or 1-888-ASK-DUKE Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Referral Center's service representatives can:
- Help answer specific questions you may have about heart care at Duke;
- Help you determine whether your insurance plan gives you access to Duke;
- Assist you in identifying a Duke physicians with the knowledge and expertise to care for your particular medical condition;
- Set up appointments with Duke Heart Center physicians, in keeping with your insurer's guidelines for specialty visits; and
- Give you information about community service programs and seminars sponsored by Duke.
