NHRMC Heart Center & Zimmer Cancer Center

For many patients, a diagnosis of heart disease or cancer is frightening. However, the Wilmington area has wonderful treatment facilities, talented specialists, and great educational support systems to treat, manage, and live with these diseases.

The New Hanover Regional Medical Center NHRMC Heart Center is one of North Carolina’s leading heart programs and is nationally recognized for delivering high-quality care including emergency treatment for heart attack patients twice as fast as the national standard. It has the area’s only open-heart surgery program, houses a 16-bed Coronary Care Unit and a 14-bed Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit, as well as cardiac catheterization, electrophysiology and cardiovascular labs. With more than 30 board-certified cardiologists, 12,000 procedures a year are performed at the NHRMC Heart Center. NHRMC Heart Center also includes the Chest Pain Center, where patients experiencing chest pain get specialized monitoring and care in the six-bed unit, and a heart valve program for the diagnosis and treatment of valve conditions.

NHRMC Heart Center received the American Heart Association’s highest award for heart attack care as a recipient of the Mission: Lifeline Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award for its STEMI program – which is its protocol for rapidly delivering patients in cardiac arrest to the care they need. NHRMC Heart Center has also been nationally recognized for delivering high-quality cardiac care and as a standout hospital for cardiology and heart surgery by Business North Carolina.

The newly opened three-floor, 62,300-square-foot NHRMC Heart Center – Outpatient Services facility offers a centralized location for patients to meet with cardiologists and advanced clinical practitioners as well as have easy access to cardiac imaging and rehabilitation services in one convenient location. The NHRMC Heart Center-Outpatient Services facility also includes NHRMC Heart Center’s Cardiac Rehabilitation Program, which offers heart patients access to classes on diet and stress management, as well as exercise classes monitored by registered nurses and exercise physiologists.

NHRMC Zimmer Cancer Center has been nationally designated as a teaching cancer program by the American College of Surgeon’s Commission on Cancer – a designation awarded to just 25 percent of hospitals in the country. The Zimmer Cancer Center combines outpatient treatment so patients can access the care they need in one convenient and comforting place. Treatments include radiation therapy, chemotherapy and infusion.

The center also houses the hospital’s cancer clinical trials program, giving local residents a chance to participate in national treatment studies. In addition, NHRMC offers ongoing support and resources for patients and loved ones. NHRMC Zimmer Cancer Center is a recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award from the American College of Surgeon’s Commission on Cancer.