Young mother experiences AFib during pregnancy
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At just 26 years old, a Nashville mother receives specialty heart care for women at Ascension Saint Thomas Heart Women’s Center during her second pregnancy.
Heart failure
Cardiologists at Ascension Saint Thomas Heart in Tennessee, deliver personalized care for advanced heart failure.
Get advanced care for heart failure
Cardiologists at Ascension Saint Thomas Heart in Tennessee, deliver personalized care for advanced heart failure.
Why choose us
You don’t have to wait or navigate heart failure care alone. At Ascension Saint Thomas Heart, we work with you to develop a treatment plan specific to your stage of heart failure – including advanced therapies, minimally invasive procedures, VAD, or heart transplant. We make it easier to get the care you need with quick appointment availability, same-day return calls, and dedicated, personalized support. Our on-site pharmacist works alongside your doctor to optimize Guideline-Directed Medical Therapy (GDMT), helping you get the most from your medications and improve your long-term health. We also coordinate every step of your care, connecting you to screenings and the right specialists.
Understand your heart failure
Congestive heart failure is a condition that has stages and gets worse over time. When your heart is unable to pump blood properly, you may experience heart failure. Cardiovascular disease, such as narrowed or blocked coronary arteries, high blood pressure, atrial fibrillation (AFib), a leaky heart valve, and inherited conditions can cause congestive heart failure.
There are four stages of heart failure – stage A, B, C and D – which range from high risk of developing heart failure to advanced heart failure.
Stage A - high risk for heart failure
Stage B - pre-heart failure (structural heart disease)
Stage C - heart failure
Stage D - advanced heart failure
Heart failure is a serious condition. At Ascension Saint Thomas Heart, your experienced care team has the expertise to deliver a personalized heart care plan based on your specific needs.
Symptoms of heart failure
Common symptoms heart failure include:
- Feeling tired or weak
- Shortness of breath
- Trouble breathing when lying down
- Weight gain with swelling in the feet, legs, ankles or stomach
Symptoms of end-stage heart failure are more distressing and may include more frequent shortness of breath, fatigue, anxiety and depression.
Excellence in heart failure care
Ascension Saint Thomas Midtown and West hospitals were recognized by the 2025 U.S. News & World Report for providing high performing care for congestive heart failure.
How we diagnose heart failure
An accurate diagnosis helps your doctor personalize your care. To diagnose heart failure, your doctor may recommend testing, such as:
This procedure uses a combination of large magnets, radio waves, and a computer to make detailed images of organs and structures in your body. Your doctor may order an MRI of the heart to look at the heart valves and major vessels. It can also detect coronary artery disease and how much damage it has caused. It can also assess heart problems that have been present since birth. It can find tumors and other conditions. Your doctor may order this test before other procedures such as angioplasty or stenting of the coronary arteries and heart or vascular surgery.
It's used to check the heart's function and structures. During the procedure, a transducer (like a microphone) sends out sound waves at a frequency too high to be heard. When the transducer is placed on the chest at certain locations and angles, the sound waves move through the skin and other body tissues to the heart tissues. The waves bounce or "echo" off the heart structures. These sound waves are sent to a computer that can create moving images on the screen of the heart walls and valves.
This is a nuclear scan that helps your doctor understand the flow of blood through the coronary arteries to the heart muscle.
This test is similar to a transthoracic echocardiogram. But it's done with medicine to help you relax (sedation). It's considered invasive because a probe is put into your body. In this test, you will swallow a small probe about the size of your thumb. The probe passes down the esophagus, which lies directly behind the heart. It allows a much closer look at the heart's structure and function than a standard echocardiogram done on the skin of the chest. It can better look at heart valve structure and function. Your doctor can better see any blood clots that may be in the heart.
How we treat heart failure
With leading technologies and advanced treatment options, Ascension Saint Thomas Heart delivers personalized care at every stage of heart failure, including:
BaroSTIM™ is an implantable device therapy for certain patients with heart failure who continue to have symptoms despite medication. It works by stimulating the body’s natural baroreflex to help rebalance the nervous system and reduce strain on the heart.
The device is placed under the skin near the collarbone and sends gentle electrical signals to improve heart function. This therapy may help reduce symptoms such as fatigue and shortness of breath, improve quality of life, and lower the risk of heart failure–related hospitalizations.
Your cardiologist will determine whether this treatment is a right option as part of your personalized care plan.
Biventricular failure is a condition in which both sides of the heart are weakened and unable to pump effectively. Our multidisciplinary team provides comprehensive evaluation and personalized care, using the latest medical therapies and advanced heart support technologies to improve heart function, relieve symptoms, and enhance quality of life.
When you're facing heart or lung failure, your care team will use ECMO when other treatments are no longer working. ECMO supports organ function by giving your heart and lungs time to rest and recover. The ECMO pump circulates your blood, acting as a heart pump through the machine's artificial lung.
Heart transplantation can improve survival, physical function, and quality of life for eligible patients with end-stage heart disease. You may need a heart transplant if your heart doesn't respond to medical therapy or a VAD.
If you are eligible for transplant listing, you will be placed on the waitlist. Wait times can vary from a few months to several years, depending on your size, blood type, tissue type and organ availability. A heart surgeon will replace your damaged heart with a healthy donor heart once one becomes available for you.
A heart transplant replaces a severely diseased or failing heart with a healthy donor heart, restoring the heart's ability to pump blood effectively. Your cardiologist will work with our dedicated transplant team and provide personalized care every step of the heart transplant journey, from evaluation and donor matching to surgery and lifelong follow-up.
A LVAD is a small mechanical pump that helps the heart circulate blood throughout the body. It supports the heart when it has become too weak to pump effectively on its own. Your doctor will recommend it when medications and other treatments are no longer enough to manage heart failure symptoms. The device helps improve blood flow, increase energy levels, and enhance overall quality of life.
An LVAD may be used in several ways:
- Bridge to transplant–helps patients stay healthy while waiting for a heart transplant.
- Bridge to candidacy–supports the heart while doctors determine if a patient qualifies for a transplant.
- Destination therapy– serves as a long-term treatment for patients who are not transplant candidates.
- Bridge to recovery– provides temporary support while the heart heals after surgery or a serious heart event.
- By taking over much of the heart’s pumping work, an LVAD allows the body to receive the oxygen-rich blood it needs to function properly.
Your cardiologist may recommend medications to help manage your heart condition. Mediation may be used to lower blood pressure, prevent blood clots, lower cholesterol and more.
Clinical trials
Our doctors participate in clinical trials for ventricular assist devices (VAD) and transplants. These research studies may help provide you with more advanced treatment options. To learn about our cardiovascular clinical trials, talk to our advanced heart failure doctors and cardiac transplant coordinator or call 615-222-5533.
Patient education
Get detailed information on what to expect before and after your procedure. Learn how to prepare and what to expect with recovery from your care team.
How to get care
Talk to your doctor about a referral to see one of our heart failure specialists. Have questions or need a second opinion? You can also contact us directly at 615-222-3078.
Meet our heart failure and transplant team
Every appointment starts with a conversation about how you are feeling, any new symptoms or concerns. Your care team will take the time to answer all your questions. By getting to know you, your doctor and care team deliver the heart care that’s right for you.
Get a second opinion
When you are facing a serious diagnosis like heart failure or deciding on a treatment plan, there is a lot to think about. If you are looking for a second opinion for advanced heart care, our cardiologists are ready to help. Your advanced heart care and surgery offerings may include heart transplant and mechanical circulatory support such as ventricular assist devices (VAD) to temporarily or permanently perform functions of the heart. Talk to your doctor about treatment options that are right for you.
Refer your patient to Ascension Saint Thomas Heart
Your patients can expect compassionate, personalized care from the moment our specialists connect with them. Our heart failure specialists start by listening to fully understand your patient’s needs and to develop an individualized care plan.
If you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency, go directly to the ER or call 911.
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