Treating heart disease starts with prevention. If you have a family history of heart disease or have been referred by your primary doctor to a cardiologist, we can provide an array of preventive services.

Convenient, affordable, in-office cardiac testing is available at our Lakewood location. As part of our ongoing commitment to accurate diagnosis and early intervention, we may use one or more of the following diagnostic tools:

• Echocardiograms
• Event and holter monitoring
• Exercise stress testing
• Implantable loop recorders
• New patient consultations
• Stress echocardiograms
• Vascular ultrasounds

Our electrophysiology program involves a number of procedures and interventions to treat cardiac arrhythmia, a condition in which the heart beats too fast, too slow or irregularly.

For example, atrial fibrillation (AFib) is an irregular heartbeat that increases your risk of stroke. AFib can limit the amount of blood that reaches the lower chambers of the heart and the body.

We treat abnormal heart rhythms with an advanced, minimally invasive implant procedure that reduces the risk of stroke for those with AFib. It can also eliminate the need for blood thinners if you are experiencing nonvalvular AFib, which involves an irregular heartbeat not caused by a heart valve abnormality. The device is designed to permanently seal off the left atrial appendage (LAA), where blood clots can form as a result of AFib.

Lead extraction

Lead extraction is a delicate, complex procedure that must be performed by an experienced provider in an advanced facility. The team at Denver Heart is highly experienced in providing transvenous lead extraction (TLE).

Cancer treatment, while potentially lifesaving, can also be damaging to other parts of the body, especially the heart. Additionally, many who are going through, or have gone through, cancer treatment have several other conditions placing stress on the heart.

A specialized field called cardio-oncology has been developed to meet the needs of this population. With a cancer diagnosis, some of the heart complications people can experience include:

• Arrhythmias
• Heart failure
• High blood pressure
• Myocardial ischemia
• Myocarditis
• Pulmonary hypertension
• Pericardial disease
• Thromboembolism

We provide cardiovascular support before, during and after treatment. Our services include any combination of the following:

• Advanced cardiovascular imaging
• Follow-up for high-risk patients
• Preexisting cardiovascular condition treatment and management
• Regular monitoring during treatment
• Risk factor assessment
• Treatment for cancer survivors with cardiac damage

Coronary artery disease refers to plaque buildup in the heart's arteries which could potentially result in a heart attack. Coronary heart disease is actually caused by coronary artery disease, but doctors often use these terms interchangeably.

Risk factors include:

• Diabetes
• Family history
• High blood pressure
• High low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol
• Low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol
• Obesity
• Smoking
  

Coronary artery disease is preventable, though. With a healthy diet, controlled weight and the right amount of exercise, you can reduce your risk. Medication is typically prescribed to lower the heart's output and control cholesterol, while other treatments include stenting and bypass surgery.

For those with more advanced coronary artery disease, surgical intervention might be necessary to restore blood flow to the arteries and prevent a heart attack.

Critical limb ischemia (CLI) refers to a condition defined by extensive blockages in the arteries of the lower extremities, particularly the legs. CLI is an advanced form of peripheral arterial disease (PAD), in which arteries that have become narrow reduce the flow of blood to the limbs. CLI can cause tissue damage and loss of limbs, also known as amputation. For treatment, medications are available, or surgery may be an option.

Heart failure doesn’t mean that your heart has stopped working altogether. Instead, this term refers to a chronic condition in which the heart is not pumping enough blood to meet your body's demands. As a result, you'll feel fatigued, short of breath and have difficulty walking or climbing stairs.

Your heart failure may be managed with medications, or you may have an additional underlying condition that can be treated to alleviate the heart failure.

Surgical or medical device treatments might include:

• Biventricular pacing
• Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT)
• Coronary bypass
• Heart valve repair or replacement
• Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators
• Ventricular assist devices (VADs)
  

Hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM), also called idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis, is a condition that is often hereditary. The heart’s muscles become abnormally thickened, making it harder for the heart to pump blood properly. If you have HOCM, staying active and maintaining a healthy diet is important. Medications or surgery are options for treatment.

Peripheral vascular disease refers to a blood circulation problem that causes blood vessels outside of the heart to become narrow, blocked or produce spasms.

Our cardiac specialists and cardiologists offer a diverse range of care and treatments if you have heart abnormalities and heart disease. A combination of medications or surgery can help depending on your heart disease. We offer both minimally invasive and complex open-heart surgery procedures.

Patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure

Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a heart condition that occurs when there are holes in the wall of tissue between the left and right upper chambers of the heart. In a PFO closure, a medical device is used to close an opening between the two upper chambers of the heart.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR)

Aortic stenosis is a narrowing in the large blood vessel of the heart called the aorta. We provide advanced treatment for aortic stenosis with a minimally invasive treatment called TAVR. During this procedure, our interventional cardiologist inserts a catheter (thin tube) through a small incision. The tube is then guided to the damaged aortic valve, where a new valve is placed. The new valve allows blood to flow freely, relieving symptoms and allowing you to return to prior levels of activity.

Since TAVR is a minimally invasive procedure, it protects the body from the potential trauma experienced during a traditional surgery. It also reduces pain and complications, shortens hospital stays, speeds up recovery time and minimizes scarring. This technique also allows us to treat people who may not be strong enough to undergo surgery.

As many athletes lead a healthy lifestyle, there is often an assumption that athletes and those with particularly active lifestyles are not at risk for heart disease. However, if you're an athlete, you can be impacted by heart disease or experience heart-related health conditions at any point in your life.

We are located between City Park and downtown Denver in Professional Plaza West, across from HCA HealthONE Presbyterian St. Luke's.

From the hospital's main entrance:

• Walk across the drive-up to Professional Plaza West
• Take the elevators to the fourth floor
• You will see a Walgreens when you exit the elevators on the fourth floor
• Go to the right of the Walgreens and our office is at the end of the first hallway.

From the underground parking garage:

• Take the elevators marked for the Professional Plaza, not for the Main Hospital
• Take the elevators to the fourth floor, where you will see a Walgreens
• Go to the right of the Walgreens, and our office is at the end of the first hallway

There is free valet parking at the hospital's main entrance. Guests are welcome to self-park in the hospital's garage at any time.

We are dedicated to making sure you feel cared for and important. In addition, we strive to provide you with compassionate, high-quality medical care and resources to help make your visits with us as smooth as possible. Important information you should know includes:

• After-hours and emergencies — If you are experiencing a medical emergency, dial 911. However, if you need after-hours advice for a medical concern, please contact us and our answering service will assist you.
• Arrival — You will be asked to arrive 15 minutes early to complete the paperwork. Please complete the forms if you have them already, and bring your insurance card, a list of your medications and any recent X-rays or lab results.
• Billing — Your co-payment and past-due account balance is due at the time of service. We accept checks, debit and all major credit cards, and you can use our secure online bill pay option to pay balances without setting up an account. You can also access your records and billing summaries via our patient portal.
• Cancellations or rescheduling — We ask that you call at least 24 hours in advance to cancel or reschedule appointments. We make every effort to stay on schedule, although emergencies arise.
• Insurance — We will submit claims to most major insurance carriers. Please bring your insurance card and ID with you to every visit so we can ensure that our records are accurate.
• Refill requests - We are happy to help with refill requests during regular office hours, so please reach out to let us know what you need. You may also request refills on the patient portal.