The new center combines the convenience people expect from a community clinic with the leading-edge care they expect from a major academic medical center. The clinic is located on the first floor just steps away from valet parking service at the Russo entrance.   

Depending on the patient´s situation, he or she may see a general cardiologist, cardiovascular or vascular surgeon, electrophysiologist, heart failure specialist, interventional cardiologist, interventional radiologist, interventional neuroradiologist or other experts. The physicians do not represent just their own perspectives and treatment options but collaborate and consult with each other, with the patient and family, and with the patient´s primary care physician on the best treatment approach.   

In many cases, diagnostic tests and physician visits can be scheduled all in the same day. A patient may have CT (computed tomography) scans taken in the morning and sit down to discuss those images later in the day with physicians in the clinic.    

The design of the clinic fosters better patient care, noted Jeff Schwartz, M.D., assistant professor of cardiovascular surgery and director of the thoracic aortic surgery program at LUHS. “Anything that brings doctors together for more immediate consultation is good for patients,’ Schwartz said. “Rather than calling or dictating notes to each other, we see each other every day in the center. More interaction is especially useful these days as newer endovascular treatments are overlapping with surgical treatment approaches. There may be several options available to the patient. We can all work together and with the patient to devise the best treatment plan.’  

The multidisciplinary center is well suited for people with complex cardiovascular conditions. It is also appropriate for people who want a second opinion about their care or even for people who have risk factors for heart disease and want an evaluation of their status.   

“A truly collaborative program like this is rare to find,’ said Mike Jarotkiewicz, administrative director for cardiovascular services at LUHS. “Physicians at academic medical centers traditionally stay within their own departments. In this setting, you get more from the whole than from the sum of it´s parts.’  
Such an innovative approach to heart care is beneficial because heart and vascular disease are interrelated. With a comprehensive, integrated approach, heart and vascular conditions can be prevented or well managed before a crisis – like heart attack or stroke – occurs.   

Such proactive treatment can extend to family members as well since many heart conditions run in the family. For example, aortic vascular disease is known to be inherited; yet it is often not uncovered until a patient arrives in the emergency department with a life-threatening ruptured aneurysm. Through the center, Schwartz will reach out to family members of patients with aortic and bicuspid valvular disease to evaluate their genetic risk factors and screen for early signs of disease.   

Another area to be expanded at the new center will be the Atrial Fibrillation Program. Atrial fibrillation is a type of irregular heart beat that strikes millions of people and often can be cured through a minimally invasive procedure. LUHS´ electrophysiology program is renowned as one of the nation´s leading programs. Now LUHS´s electrophysiologists can bring their expertise and the latest treatments to more patients.   

For more information or to make an appointment at the Center for Heart and Vascular Medicine, call (708) 216-8646.  

-->Go back to issue index-->