Cardiac Treatment at the Olga and Lev Leviev Heart Center

The Intensive Cardiac Care Unit is directed by Prof. Hanoch Hod and provides 24 hour care to critically ill or complex patients. Conditions treated here include myocardial infarctions (heart attacks), unstable angina, heart valve problems, severe heart rhythm issues, and transplant patients.

The equipment and procedures here are truly state of the art and include therapeutic hypothermia. This is a cutting edge technique used in only a handful of institutions around the world. It consists of lowering a critical cardiac patient’s body temperature to prevent brain damage and has shown encouraging results.

Prof. Victor Guetta is the director of Sheba’s Invasive Cardiology Unit. This unit is dedicated to angiography, cardiac catheterization, and percutaneous interventions intended to relieve blood flow blockages to the heart. These blockages are the primary cause of heart attacks as they prevent oxygenated blood from reaching the heart, leading to the death of cardiac muscle.

Additionally, the Invasive Cardiology Unit treats septal wall defects and inserts cardiac stents in an effort to prevent future heart attacks. The unit is constantly engaging in research as well, including investigations into new cardiac devices and novel treatments for myocardial infarctions.

Sheba Medical Center’s Heart Failure Institute is committed to the management and diagnosis of patients with this complex disease. An interdisciplinary team of cardiologists, electrophysiologists, nutritionists, psychologists, and support staff consult and work together to effectively treat patients with a range of heart failure conditions. These conditions vary from mild cardiomyopathy to the need for a heart transplant.

The institute provides outpatient services in the form of injections, intravenous therapy, and careful monitoring. In the event that a patient requires hospitalization, the institute has 12 inpatient beds. The staff are fully equipped and prepared to manage the most critical and delicate patients, including those with artificial hearts and transplant recipients. Whether a patient’s heart failure is congestive, due to cardiomyopathy, or from another cause, the Heart Failure Institute is here to provide world class medicine with a personal touch.

After a major adverse cardiac event, such as a heart attack, or following cardiac surgery, a patient often needs cardiac rehabilitation. Studies have repeatedly shown that proper cardiac rehabilitation is crucial to reducing the risk of future cardiac problems and increasing patients’ quality of life.

The heart is a muscle and like any muscle, it needs to be exercised to be strong and efficient. Our Cardiac Rehabilitation Unit provides for this with a variety of physician-directed programs such as hydrotherapy, treadmills, and other therapy options.

Sheba is also proud to house Hotel Shilev. This facility exists for the comfort and rehabilitation of open-heart surgery and heart attack patients. As these patients recuperate, they and their spouses can enjoy large, comfortable rooms with a variety of amenities. Even if your initial treatment was not at Sheba Medical Center, you are welcome to rest and convalesce at Hotel Shilev.

Additionally, the Cardiac Rehabilitation Unit offers precise, non-invasive cardiac testing. This includes procedures such as stress testing, Holter monitors, and transthoracic echocardiograms. These procedures allow cardiologists to learn much about the state of a patient’s heart without the need for surgery or sedation.

The Leviev Heart Center contains two cardiac research groups, the Tamman Cardiovascular Research Institute and the Neufeld Cardiac Research Institute. These institutes engage in ongoing research into the management of cardiac disease. Current projects include investigations into cardiac regeneration and cardiac imaging.