Cardiology

Every minute matters during a heart attack, and our heart experts make swift and collaborative decisions for the benefit of your care. Through our close relationships with local emergency medical services (EMS) providers, we can treat you and your heart condition. You can also be prepared by learning how to perform hands-only CPR.

When you arrive, our cardiac catheterization laboratory (cath lab) is staffed with skilled specialists 24/7 to open blocked arteries. We can stop a heart attack in its tracks with medication, cardiac stenting or angioplasty.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women and men, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Our goal is to lower that statistic. Our expert cardiologists and cardiac specialists get you the proper treatment you need so that you can better understand heart disease and manage your condition more effectively.

Heart disease in men and women

Heart disease is often underdiagnosed in women. Symptoms may differ from those in men and can then be overlooked. While both men and women experience chest pain and pressure with a heart attack, women can also feel jaw pain and nausea, among other symptoms.

Heart attack prevention

Understanding the signs of a heart attack helps, but we want to help you before this even happens. We emphasize the importance of early detection for both women and men through a variety of screening and imaging tests. We can diagnose and treat heart disease as soon as possible.

Heart disease risk factors

Anyone can develop heart disease, however, having the following puts you at higher risk for developing the disease:

• Diabetes
• Family history of heart disease
• History of smoking
• Hyperlipidemia (elevated fat levels in the blood)
• Hypertension (high blood pressure)

We perform a wide range of therapeutic and diagnostic procedures including cardiac catheterization, angioplasty and electrophysiology studies. Additionally, we offer hypothermia therapy to reduce organ damage following cardiac arrest.

When advanced surgery is necessary, such as open-heart surgery, we partner with the renowned cardiovascular surgical team at Washington Hospital Center's Heart and Vascular Institute. This partnership allows for a seamless referral process and emergency transport service when open-heart surgery is needed.

Cardiac cath lab

Our cardiac cath lab is equipped with a fully digital system, providing our specialists with the tools they need for critical diagnostic and interventional procedures.

During cardiac catheterization, a thin catheter is inserted into an artery in your wrist or groin and guided through your artery. The procedure may be used as a diagnostic tool to identify heart disease, or as an interventional tool for breaking up blood clots during a heart attack.

Technology in our cardiac cath lab

Designed to ensure optimal patient safety and comfort, our cardiac cath lab technology enables precise positioning at high speeds, which minimizes the procedure time. Some of the technology we use includes:

• A digital, advanced X-ray system designed for optimal cardiac imaging and patient comfort
• A built-in, 64-slice, low-dose computerized tomography (CT) scanner that produces 3D images of the heart and blood vessels for extreme accuracy during procedures
• Advanced, open magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using the only 3 Tesla MRI in Northern Virginia, which provides high-speed, high-definition imaging

Other heart and vascular services we offer

In addition to surgical and cardiac cath treatments, our cardiovascular specialists offer a wide range of heart and vascular services, including:

• Cardiac assist devices
• Cardiovascular, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar screenings
• Cardiac rehabilitation
• Carotid artery procedures
• Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) treatment
• Emergency heart care
• Heart screening and imaging
• Hypothermia therapy to reduce organ damage following cardiac arrest
• Inpatient intensive care for heart patients
• Interventional radiology procedures
• Minimally invasive surgery for heart and vascular disorders
• Lower extremity angioplasty, stents and bypass procedures