Understanding your risk factors for developing heart disease can help prevent heart attack and stroke. Doctors and care teams at Ascension Borgess Heart Institute specialize in heart care. We start by listening to understand you and your health concerns. Then, we work with you to create a care plan that’s right for you.
Your primary heart doctor
Your heart care is our priority. Your care team coordinates your heart tests and treatments, and monitors your care. Cardiologists work with other cardiovascular specialists at Ascension Borgess Heart Institute to deliver care that’s right for you. Some of our cardiologists are also interventional cardiologists and perform minimally invasive heart procedures such as angioplasty and stent placement to open clogged arteries.
Helping you improve your heart health
When your energy level is different than usual, your heart starts racing or you have symptoms of a heart disease, we’re here to help. Your cardiologist helps you recognize how other factors, such as reflux, medications and other health treatments, can affect your heart. We use heart imaging tests, cholesterol tests, heart enzyme blood tests, EKG, and blood pressure monitoring to detect all types of heart disease — irregular heartbeat, leaky heart valve, clogged coronary artery, and more.
If you are experiencing symptoms of heart disease, contact your doctor. Symptoms may be different between men and women:
- Chest pain or discomfort
- Feeling weak, light-headed, or faint
- Pain or discomfort in the jaw, neck, or back
- Pain or discomfort in one or both arms or shoulders
- Shortness of breath
For a life-threatening emergency, go directly to the ER or call 911.
Specialty care for AFib and other types of heart disease
Cardiologists provide specialty care for arrhythmia and other heart rhythm disorders. We focus on helping you reduce your risk for stroke and heart attack. A common type of arrhythmia is atrial fibrillation, also known as AFib. Having AFib increases your risk for a stroke or transient ischemic attack (also called a TIA or mini-stroke). If you have AFib, your doctor may evaluate you for the Watchman™ device. This procedure offers an alternative to the lifelong use of Warfarin for people with AFib not caused by heart valve problems.
Ascension Borgess provides cardiovascular treatments, including:
- Ablation procedures - cryoablation, stereotaxis and radiofrequency
- Anticoagulation therapy
- Bypass surgery
- Cardiac rehabilitation
- CRT heart synchronization
- Electrophysiology (EP) testing of the heart’s electrical system
- Heart attack prevention
- Heart failure management
- Implantable pacemakers and defibrillators
- Implantable loop recorder for long-term heart rhythm monitoring
- Medication management
- Valve surgery, TAVR and MitraClip™
- Watchman™ procedure
Specialists in structural heart and valve surgery
Heart and valve problems can lead to heart attack or progressive heart failure, so it’s important to talk to your doctor about early treatment options when you receive your diagnosis. For some heart valve conditions, surgery may be recommended. And whenever possible, minimally invasive techniques will be used. Minimally invasive procedures may help shorten your recovery time and lower your risk of complications. Techniques may include:
- Left atrial appendage occlusion Watchman™ and FLX devices
- MitralClip™ for mitral valve repair
- Patent foramen ovale (PFO) and ASD closure
- Pulmonary and tricuspid valve care
- Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR)
- Transcatheter mitral valve repair
- Endovascular and thoracic repairs of aortic aneurysms (EVAR, TEVAR)
