Cardiology

The Cardiology Service provides three levels of cardiovascular care: Diagnostic, Evaluation and Consultative, and Therapeutic. We employ a number of diagnostic and therapeutic modalities for evaluation and treatment of patients. Diagnostic studies include routine electrocardiograms, event and Holter monitoring, stress testing modalities such as exercise echocardiograms, exercise nuclear scintigraphy and pharmacologic stress testing. We perform the complete spectrum of diagnostic angiography to include cardiac catheterization and right heart studies, diagnostic peripheral angiography and pulmonary angiography. Our echocardiography section performs both transthoracic echocardiograms and transesophageal echocardiograms. Our Interventional Cardiovascular Service has expertise in state of the art interventional procedures including percutaneous coronary balloon angioplasty (PTCA) and stenting, intravascular ultrasound, peripheral angioplasty (PTA) and stenting, and temporary pacemaker placement. Our population spans a full range with respect to age and underlying medical conditions. We evaluate active duty personnel during initial induction into service including individuals as young as 18 years of age, all the way through patients separating from the military to retired to military personnel. We also see dependents of active duty and retired personnel. Many of our patients are without obvious cardiovascular risk factors, though have symptoms concerning for coronary artery disease or peripheral vascular disease. We also evaluate a significant number of patients with established risk factors to include diabetes, hypertension, smoking history, hypercholesterolemia and a positive family history.

The Cardiology Service is a consultative service with the majority of our patients being referred to us from other services. Patients sent for evaluation of ischemic coronary artery or peripheral vascular disease generally undergo routine ECG testing coupled with a detailed history and physical. Depending on a patients symptoms, or the results of noninvasive testing, cardiac catheterization or angiography may be recommended to help determine the extent of disease as well as what therapeutic measures may be appropriate. Patients may also undergo echocardiography to evaluate the structural integrity of the heart and assess the status of the LV systolic function. The Cardiology Service maintains an open catheterization laboratory available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for the management of patients with acute coronary syndromes.

In addition to consultations, the Cardiology Service follows a panel of patients with established cardiac problems who are seen routinely in the Cardiovascular Clinic. These are patients with LV dysfunction and symptomatic heart failure: valvular heart disease following valve replacement, patients with chronic ischemic coronary artery disease, and patients that require more than general medical follow-up such as patients having a pacemaker. We also provide an Anticoagulation Clinic evaluation for the education, evaluation and monitoring of those patients who require systemic anticoagulation.