Mega Doctor News
A steady, regular heartbeat is vital for maintaining blood circulation, ensuring consistent, efficient delivery of oxygen and other essential nutrients to tissues throughout the body while ensuring overall cardiovascular care.
In the United States, more than 14 million people have heart rhythm disorders, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with arrythmias contributing to more than 300,000 deaths nationwide annually.
For many patients with severe heart rhythm disorders, a pacemaker is a critical, life-saving device that serves as a “bridge to life,” preventing potentially fatal outcomes.
“By delivering electrical impulses to the heart muscle, a pacemaker ensures that the heart maintains a steady, functional rate, especially in cases where it beats too slowly or inefficiently,” says Dr. Federico E. Azpurua, MD, FACC, a board-certified interventional cardiologist with South Texas Health System (STHS) Clinics. “Beyond survival, these devices alleviate severe, debilitating symptoms such as fainting, severe dizziness, extreme fatigue and shortness of breath, allowing patients to improve their overall quality of life.”
In the Rio Grande Valley, patients requiring a pacemaker can count on STHS Heart to provide nationally recognized quality, compassionate installation of the live-saving device.
Healthgrades, the leading online resource for comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals, has named STHS Heart as a Five-Star Recipient for Pacemaker Procedures in 2026, indicating superior outcomes and lower complication rates.
Hospitals with a 5-star rating for pacemaker procedures provide significantly better care, with patients having a roughly 57% lower risk of complications compared to 1-star rated hospitals, according to Healthgrades.
“This special recognition serves as a testament to STHS Heart’s dedication to delivering safe, evidence-based cardiovascular care at the highest level,” says Brenda Ivory, Chief Executive Officer, STHS Heart. “As one of the nation’s first freestanding cardiology and cardiovascular hospitals, our team of physicians and clinical staff have worked tirelessly over the last 30 years to ensure our patients receive world-class care that meets their unique, individual needs. This Five-Star Recipient for Pacemaker Procedures designation from Healthgrades demonstrates our commitment to treating complex issues like heart arrhythmias with precision and care.”
STHS Heart’s achievements are based solely on what matters most: patient outcomes. Each year, Healthgrades evaluates risk-adjusted mortality and complication rates for over 30 common conditions and procedures at approximately 4,500 hospitals nationwide to identify the top hospitals in key specialty areas, including pacemaker procedures. Through easy-to-understand, objective measures of hospital performance, Healthgrades empowers patients with the information they need to find a hospital that excels in their procedure or condition.
As performance gaps persist between the nation’s highest- and lowest-achieving facilities, seeking care at a top program has never been more important. Healthgrades’ 2026 analysis revealed that if all hospitals, as a group, performed similarly to five-star hospitals during the 2022-2024 study period, on average, 230,466 lives could have been saved and 156,797 complications could have been avoided.*
“Healthgrades’ specialty awards identify the nation’s top-performing hospitals in key service areas, helping consumers find high quality care tailored to their specific needs,” said Alana Biggers, MD, MPH, medical advisor at Healthgrades. “We’re proud to recognize STHS Heart for its consistently superior outcomes in key service areas, including pacemaker procedures.”
To learn more about the award-winning cardiovascular services available through STHS Heart, visit the facility’s website at www.sthsheart.com.
*Statistics are based on Healthgrades analysis of MedPAR data for years 2022 through 2024 and represent three-year estimates for Medicare patients only. Click here to view the complete 2026 Specialty Awards and Ratings Methodology.
