Comprehensive Cardiology Care at Decatur County Hospital

We know that it can be hard to find timely, conveniently located appointments for advanced health care services that you need such as stress testing, nuclear medicine, and on-site appointments with a board-certified cardiologist or vascular surgeon. That’s why Decatur County Hospital is dedicated to evolving our services and equipment to provide patients with the best care, and to provide that care in a timely manner.

At DCH, we are proud to offer in-house access to a comprehensive set of cardiac care needs including stress tests, nuclear medicine, echocardiograms, holter monitors, MRI, and vascular surgery. This program is led by our board-certified cardiologist, Steven Mehta, MD, with support from specially trained nursing and radiology staff, and our general/vascular surgeon Edwin Wehling, DO. As a board-certified cardiologist, Dr. Mehta, works with patients who live with: atrial fibrillation, post-cardiac event symptoms, abnormal heart rhythms, structural heart disease, congenital heart issues, peripheral artery disease, chronic venous disease, valve stenosis, and more. Our cardiology program offers:

Access to a board-certified cardiologist. Board-certified cardiologist, Dr. Steven Mehta, is on-site in the DCH Outpatient Clinic two (2) days each month, with an additional telehealth day available monthly for follow ups.

Stress testing. If you need a stress test to assess your heart health, you don’t have to travel far from home or wait months to get results. At Decatur County Hospital, we provide stress testing in a caring and secure environment with an expertly trained team, including Dr. Mehta, cardiac rehab nursing staff, a nuclear medicine technician, and specially trained RNs to supervise each test.

In-house nuclear medicine. To further expand timely access to high quality health care, we have recently added a brand new, in-house, nuclear medicine machine. With the permanent addition of the GE NM 830 in our radiology department, we now have the capability to diagnose and track the progression of heart disease, evaluate thyroid function, detect obstruction of the renal blood flow, locate cancerous tissue, evaluate any degenerative and/or arthritic changes in the joints, and to find bone diseases and tumors. Appointments are available up to six (6) days each month. The NM 830 brings the diagnostic capability to enable reduction of dose or scan times by up to 25 percent, providing shorter, more tolerable exams and greater patient comfort. The technology of this equipment allows us to diagnose disease earlier and with the SwiftScan Planar and SwiftScan SPECT’s improved small lesion detectability.

Echocardiograms. Our radiology department offers on-site echocardiograms four (4) days each month, provided by a specially trained ultrasound technician.

Holter monitors. We offer the testing technology of the Holter monitor to help treat heart conditions that are associated with arrhythmia and heart palpitations. These symptoms could indicate a serious health condition that could lead to complications such as a heart attack or stroke.

In-house MRI. In addition to other available testing, an MRI can provide a deeper look into potential heart issues, including damage from a heart attack, reasons for reduced blood flow, inflammation, issues with the aorta, and more. Our new, permanent, in-house GE SIGNA™ 1.5T MRI machine will be operational in late June, and will soon be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Vascular Surgery. Dr. Edwin Wehling, DO, is our General and Vascular surgeon who offers a range of surgical services, including same day emergency procedures, and inpatient services with advanced technologies, close to home. We have two integrated surgical suites, and a fully equipped endoscopy suite which are available and allow timely scheduling for patient and surgeon convenience. Dr. Wehling performs multiple on-site vascular procedures including: 1) Diagnosis and treatment of all vascular disease – arterial and venous. 2) Endovascular, minimal invasive, stent, “roto-rooter,” and balloon angioplasty of all vessels. 3) Surgical bypass for blocked blood vessels. 4) All hemodialysis access – vascular fistula and peritoneal. 5) Venous ablation and pulebectomy for varicose veins.

To schedule your appointment, or to inquire about scheduling testing at our facility, please call 641-446-2285. Depending on your insurance, you likely do not need a referral to use our comprehensive services.