Cardiology

Why choose Prevea for heart care?

We offer a dedicated team of cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, advanced practice providers, nurses and other healthcare professionals who are highly specialized and committed to providing lifesaving care for those with heart conditions.

Know your risk for heart disease

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 659,000 people—or 1 in 4—die from heart disease each year in the United States. It remains the leading cause of death for both men and women. At Prevea, we’re committed to helping you understand your risk and take steps to prevent heart disease.

Several factors can increase your risk, including lifestyle, age and family history. These are known as risk factors. The CDC reports that nearly half of all Americans (47%) have at least one of three key risk factors:

• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Smoking or tobacco use

Genetics also play a role. A family history of heart disease can increase your likelihood of developing similar conditions, though shared environments and lifestyle habits often contribute as well.

While heart disease can occur at any age, the risk increases over time. Certain racial and ethnic groups are also more likely to experience conditions that raise their risk. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for most groups, including African Americans, American Indians and Alaska Natives, and white individuals. For Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders and Hispanics, it is the second leading cause of death, following cancer.

When to see a cardiologist

• Chest pain is the hallmark sign of a heart problem. It can also be a sign of a heart attack, which is a life-threatening emergency. Call 911 if you think you are having a heart attack. Remember that signs can be different for men and women. 
• High blood pressure, especially chronically elevated blood pressure, causes the heart to work harder to circulate blood and increases your risk of heart attack and stroke. 
• Shortness of breath, palpitations (a noticeably rapid, strong or irregular heartbeat) or dizziness. 
• Diabetes. There is a strong correlation between cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
• Smoking is one of the major preventable risk factors for heart disease. 
• High cholesterol can contribute to plaque in your arteries. Plaque buildup leads to clogged arteries which can cause heart attack, stroke and even death. 
• Chronic kidney disease. If your kidneys don’t function your risk for heart disease increases. 
• A family history of heart disease. 
• You have peripheral arterial disease (PAD). 
• You’re currently inactive and planning to start an exercise routine. The CDC recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, along with muscle-strengthening activities on two or more days. If you haven’t been physically active in a while, consider talking with your healthcare physician or provider before getting started.

Cardiac testing

Your doctor may recommend one of these tests be performed to help diagnose your condition. In most cases these tests are done at the hospital.

Echocardiography (Echo)

An echocardiogram is an ultrasound of the heart. It’s a non-invasive test that uses sound waves to create pictures of the heart to show blood flow through your heart and heart valves. It helps diagnose heart failure, valve issues and murmurs.

Stress test

Stress testing stresses the heart to bring out symptoms or signs of heart disease under controlled situations and careful monitoring. This test provides information to diagnose and manage heart conditions like chest pain, blocked arteries, irregular heartbeats and difficulty breathing. Such tests include an exercise treadmill test (ETT) which involves walking on a treadmill while recording your electrocardiogram (EKG) and blood oxygen content, or a nuclear stress test which involves using intravenous medications and exercise to stress the heart.  

Cardiac CT 

A computed tomography (CT) scan of the heart is an imaging method that uses x-rays to create detailed 3-D pictures of the heart and blood vessels. Heart calcium scoring it one particular test that shows how much calcium buildup is in your arteries.