The Ocean Heart Group Team of experts in cardiac care includes Interventional Cardiologists, and Electrophysiologists (EP). This allows our patients total cardiovascular care in one office. We also visit all local hospitals. If our patients require emergency care, we believe it is a benefit and a comfort to our patients and their families that we are able to provide a familiar face and background knowledge during a difficult time.
What is an Interventional Cardiologist? An Interventional Cardiologist is a cardiologist with advanced training in minimally-invasive catheter-based procedures. This means that they perform procedures using catheters.One example of such interventions is inserting stents in the heart arteries in order to restore proper blood flow [see What is a Heart Attack below]. These procedures allow accurate diagnosis and unique treatment opportunities for cardiovascular disease as well as congenital and structural heart conditions.
What is an Electrophysiologist? (EP)? An EP is a cardiologist with advanced training and expertise in treating arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythms), which includes pacemaker, defibrillator (ICD), and ablation procedures in order to restore and maintain the heart’s normal healthy rhythm [see Palpitations below].
A vast number of procedures can be performed on the heart by catheterization, a procedure to diagnose and treat heart conditions through the femoral artery or radial artery. This treatment offers advantages including shorter and more comfortable patient recovery – patients are able to sit up and walk shortly following catheterization procedures, overall pain and recovery time is reported as much less than that pain affiliated with operative cardiac procedures.
Cardiac Testing is completed On-Site in our Offices
We perform:
- Holter Monitoring – Monitoring that detects irregular heart rhythms in patients with palpitations
- Echocardiograms (ECHO) – Ultrasound test that helps us to evaluate the structure and function of your beating heart and heart valves.
- Stress Testing – Measures your heart’s ability to respond to external stress in a controlled clinical environment
- Carotid & Peripheral Vascular Imaging – Ultrasound imaging that helps detects the presence of narrowing caused by plaque
- Remote Device Monitoring – Used for diagnosis and treatment of cardiac arrythmias on your pacemaker, defibrillator (ICD), Loop Recorder (ILR) by our physicians without leaving your home.
Percutaneous Coronary Interventions (PCI) – a non-surgical procedure using a catheter (flexible tube) to open up blood vessels in the heart with atherosclerosis (narrowing of vessels due to fatty plaque buildup). It can be done in an acute or emergency setting such as cardiac arrest resulting from a heart attack or in an elective setting when heart disease is strongly suspected from non-invasive / diagnostic testing.
A heart attack happens when the blood that brings the oxygen to the heart muscle is severely reduced or cut off completely. Your heart is a muscle that needs oxygen to survive. This happens because the heart’s arteries (coronary arteries) that supply the blood flow have become narrow from a buildup of fat, cholesterol, and other substances, altogether called plaque. Plaque can also break off and block the blood flow. In either situation, as those parts of the heart become starved from oxygen and nutrients, they can become damaged and die. A General Cardiologist can consult with you during a heart attack, however, an Interventional Cardiologist has the Highly Advanced Non-Invasive Surgical Training to offer Treatment through Catheterization (CATH procedure) and “open” your artery, restoring the blood flow to your heart.
Our heart beats all day, every day but we are not aware of it. Palpitations are when you feel your heart beat. It can skip a beat, have an extra beat, beat hard or fast for no clear reason. As an example when you exercise your heart should beat faster and stronger. That is normal. However, if your heart is beating faster or stronger without exercise or another understandable reason, then you may have an arrhythmia (abnormal heart beat) and speaking with an EP Cardiologist may be helpful. We have options for monitoring your heart rhythm (the way it beats) from days to years when needed. We also have intervention strategies, electrical studies of the heart, and modification of the arrhythmia to provide an improved quality of health and life.
A 58-year old woman with a history of well controlled high blood pressure, was leading a very active lifestyle traveling and playing for hours with her grandchildren. She began feeling unusually tired and extremely out of breath. She saw an Ocean Heart Group Interventional Cardiologist that same day and exhaustive cardiac testing was promptly performed in our office. Her Stress test was abnormal and her symptoms continued to persist throughout the day. The Interventional Cardiologist recommended a CATH Procedure, which was scheduled that evening.
During the procedure, the Interventional Cardiologist placed a stent inside the blocked artery, which opened up the artery and restored blood flow to her heart muscle and relieved her symptoms. The CATH procedure showed that 90% of her right coronary artery was blocked. This blockage was the reason for her tiredness and shortness of breath. If she did not seek medical attention, given her 90% blockage, she could have suffered a major heart attack leading to severe complications and/or death. We are thrilled to report that our patient will continue to live a very active lifestyle chasing after her grandchildren!
