Specialty Areas

Many of our physicians have additional specialty training within the field of cardiology, broadening our practice and enabling us to treat even the most difficult and challenging cardiovascular problems. Our areas of specialty include:

Heart Rhythm Center

Our Heart Rhythm Center physicians diagnose and treat patients throughout the region who have abnormal heart rhythms, using sophisticated techniques and equipment, with therapies including medications, implantable devices and catheter ablations.

Click here for more about the Heart Rhythm Center.

Echocardiography

Virginia Heart's nationally accredited echocardiography facilities use cardiac ultrasound (sound waves) to painlessly gather images of the heart's structure and function.

Combining treadmills with ultrasound technology helps us see the heart at work and can indicate blockages in the coronary arteries.

We have cardiologists who are also expert in transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), a specialized echocardiography procedure that allows for highly precise evaluation of cardiac structures, when needed. This procedure is often done for heart valve assessment prior to cardiac surgery.

Echocardiography is used to detect heart diseases such as:

• coronary heart disease (blockages in arteries of heart),
• valvular heart disease (damaged heart valves),
• pericardial disease (damaged sac surrounding the heart), and
• congenital heart disease (heart defects present from birth).

Virginia Heart's facilities are accredited by the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Echocardiology Laboratories (ICAEL).

Interventional Cardiology

Our highly trained interventional cardiologists diagnose and treat complex forms of heart disease. In a hospital setting, these specialists use catheters (thin, flexible tubes) that are inserted into blood vessels and guided to the heart to "see" any problems and open clogged arteries.

Often, at the same time as diagnosis, catheters can be used to improve blood flow in clogged arteries by inserting and expanding balloons into blood vessels (percutaneous coronary intervention or PCI) and implanting or deploying devices called stents, which help to keep blood vessels open. Many times, these procedures can be done on an outpatient basis.

Most importantly, catheterization procedures can enable patients to avoid more complex heart surgery.

Nuclear Cardiology

One of the most commonly performed tests to diagnose coronary heart disease is a nuclear stress test, also referred to as a myocardial perfusion scan.

Our nationally accredited nuclear cardiology labs employ state-of-the-art imaging technology in which the camera produces three-dimensional images of the heart that show exactly where the heart muscle may not be receiving enough blood and oxygen. The test is non-invasive, with only a small amount of radioactive dye being injected into the bloodstream, and the information obtained is often more precise than that produced by other forms of exercise testing.

Our labs are accredited by the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Nuclear Medicine Laboratories (ICANL).

Vascular Center

Our Vascular Center provides a wide variety of testing and treatment options for peripheral arterial disease (PAD), a common circulatory system disease, which involves the narrowing of vessels that carry blood throughout the body and can lead to stroke, kidney failure, or loss of limbs, if left untreated. Early detection is key to effective treatment. Our physicians have the expertise and technology to diagnose vascular disease quickly and begin treatment immediately.

Our labs are accredited by the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Vascular Laboratories (ICAVL). Click here for more about the Vascular Center.