Crystal Pietranton recently experienced first-hand the importance of knowing basic cardiovascular care. While at a 4H event, she witnessed a woman go into cardiac arrest and initiated CPR, helping save the woman’s life. Now she’s using her experience as part of her missio
n to raise awareness for women’s heart health.
Pietranton, of WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital Heart and Vascular Institute (HVI), has been named a Go Red for Women of Impact nominee. Through the nine-week program, Pietranton will be joining other local women to support the American Heart Association’s (AHA) mission to promote a world of longer, healthier lives.
“I will be raising my voice, raising awareness and raising funds for women’s heart health in our community through the AHA,” said Pietranton, who has been working in cardiology for more than 20 years and is lead APP-Cardiology Services with HVI.
She said the AHA is important to her for many reasons. Professionally, she sees the impact the association has on standards of care and guideline-based practices that help healthcare workers provide the best care for their patients.
“Personally, I see how cardiac disease affects my family and community,” she said. “We need to educate our family, friends, and community to help prevent worsening cardiovascular disease and prevent another death.”
Working in healthcare, specifically heart care, in the Wheeling area, Pietranton is passionate about caring for her community and using her personal experience and expertise to make her neighbors live healthy lives.
“The Ohio Valley is my forever home, and I am committed to making our community healthier for every person who lives here,” Pietranton said. “Cardiovascular disease is so prevalent in this area, and we must continue to educate everyone.”
Pietranton earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from Wheeling Jesuit University and has been working at Wheeling Hospital since 2000. She also is registered in adult echocardiography and is a certified family nurse practitioner. Pietranton helped form the structural heart program at Wheeling Hospital in 2017and has been working with structural heart and heart failure programs since then. In 2020 she began working for WVU Medicine and HVI. Recently, she was named as an associate of the American College of Cardiology.