Cardiology

Cardiac care close to home

Learn more about diagnostic and treatment services for cardiovascular diseases. Bradenton Cardiology Center has two locations for your convenience.

Cardiology Conditions Treated

At Bradenton Cardiology Center, patients can receive advanced treatment for a wide range of heart and cardiovascular conditions. Common conditions treated include:

Angina

Angina is the term for chest pain and discomfort. It is a symptom of an underlying heart problem. Angina feels like pressure or a squeezing sensation in your chest. It can also be accompanied with shortness of breath and fatigue. 

If you feel these symptoms, it is time to talk to your doctor about testing for heart disease. 

Arrhythmia

A heart arrhythmia is the term for an irregular heartbeat. Your heart can beat too fast, referred to as tachycardia. It can also beat too slow, referred to as bradycardia. 

Arrhythmia is a common symptom of heart problems including coronary artery disease, high blood pressure and heart failure. 

Cardiomyopathy

Cardiomyopathy is a heart muscle disease. It makes it difficult for your heart to pump blood to the rest of your body. There are two types: dilated and hypertrophic. 

Common symptoms include swelling of the legs, ankles and feet. It also causes breathlessness during normal activities and even at rest. If left untreated, it can result in heart failure. 

Congenital heart disease

Congenital heart disease is a term that refers to heart disease present at birth. It refers to a wide range of birth defects that affect the heart. 

The most common defects include:

• Septal defects
• Coarctation of the aorta
• Pulmonary valve stenosis and 
• Transposition of the great arteries
• Underdeveloped heart 

Coronary heart disease

Coronary heart disease (CHD), also known as coronary artery disease (CAD), is the most common type of heart disease. Coronary heart disease is when there’s plaque buildup in the walls of the arteries. It narrows the arteries, and the blood flow is compromised. 

Over time, the plaque can lead to blood clots which block blood flow completely. This is the most common cause of a heart attack. 

Common symptoms of coronary artery disease are chest pain or discomfort, weakness, discomfort in the arms and shortness of breath. If left untreated, CAD can weaken the heart muscle and lead to heart failure.

Heart failure

Heart failure means that the heart is struggling to pump and cannot keep up with its workload. The heart’s ability to pump is important because the blood delivers oxygen and nutrients to the body’s cells.

When the heart is unable to provide enough blood to the cells it tries to fix this problem. It starts by enlarging, developing more muscle mass or pumping faster. 

Common symptoms of heart failure are fatigue and shortness of breath just by doing everyday activities like walking and carrying groceries. 

Heart valve disease

Heart valve disease can affect the four valves in your heart and disrupt their function. The valves have flaps that open and close. The flaps ensure that blood flows in the right direction through the heart and to the rest of your body.

The three heart valve diseases are regurgitation, stenosis and atresia. These heart valve problems disrupt the flow of blood and cause problems in different ways.

High cholesterol (hyperlipidemia)

A healthy level of cholesterol is needed to build healthy cells. There are two types of cholesterol, LDL and HDL. 

LDL cholesterol is considered bad because it creates fatty build ups in your arteries. A high level of this cholesterol increases the risk of heart attacks. However, a healthy level of HDL cholesterol carries away LDL cholesterol and protects you from heart attack.

High blood pressure (hypertension)

Blood pressure is the force in which your blood pushes against the walls of your blood vessels. When your blood pressure is too high, it causes damage to your arteries and heart. This is a result of your heart and blood vessels being overworked.  High cholesterol has no symptoms, so it is important to have a blood test to be treated. If left untreated, it could lead to arrhythmia, heart attack or a stroke. 

Pericarditis

Pericarditis is inflammation of the sac-like structure that surrounds the heart and holds it in place. This sac, called the pericardium, has two thin layers of tissue with liquid between them to create separation. This decreases the amount of friction between the layers as the heart beats. 

When the layers become inflamed, the layers of pericardium rub against each other. This causes sharp chest pain. Most pericarditis cases are mild but sometimes simple treatment may be needed.

Services and Treatments

Are you actively treating a heart disease? Want to reduce your risk factors to prevent them from developing? We are here to help. We provide comprehensive cardiac diagnostic services and treatments.

Cardiology diagnostic services

Our cardiology services include heart disease diagnosis to provide targeted treatment. Advanced diagnostic tests are available to help detect heart conditions and formulate a treatment plan. The cardiology department utilizes advanced imaging and testing including: 

• 64-slice CT scanning
• Cardiac event monitoring
• Carotid ultrasound
• Coronary calcium score
• Coronary CTA
• Electrocardiogram (ECG)
• Stress test ing
• HeartFlow® FFRCT Analysis
• Heart catheterizations
• Nuclear stress test
• Pacemaker and defibrillator clinic
• Peripheral angiography

Cardiac conditions and treatments

Cardiology treatment is individualized for each patient. The cardiology department specializes in a wide range of advanced heart surgery and treatment options including: 

• Angioplasty
• Cardiac rehabilitation
• Cardiac resynchronization therapy
• Catheter ablation
• MitraClip
• Pacemaker and implantable defibrillators
• Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR)
• Valvuloplasty
• Watchman™ LAAC implant