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Cardiology

Cardiology is the medical treatment of diseases of the heart and parts of the circulatory system. Cardiologists are the doctors who specialize in diagnosing and treating these conditions.

Heart and vascular care in Kansas City

Dedicated to caring for the most hearts in KC.

Whether you need emergency care for chest pain or long-term heart disease management, the cardiologists at the HCA Midwest Heart & Vascular Institute offer comprehensive heart care. Our experienced heart doctors provide the latest lifesaving therapies and a smooth and seamless course of treatment.

Health Risk Assessments

Answering a few questions can help you determine if you need to speak to your doctor.

Answering a few questions can help you determine if you need to speak to your doctor.

Benefits of the HCA Midwest Health Heart and Vascular Institute

At the Heart and Vascular Institute, there are many benefits to being in our care. Our qualifications include:

  • Pioneers in cardiac care: Our cardiologists performed the first protected percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedure using advanced pumping technology and the first minimally invasive bypass surgery in the Kansas City region.
  • Prominent leaders in cardiology research: Our cardiac specialists work to advance care by leading innovative clinical trials and research projects and authoring peer-review publications.
  • A team approach to heart care: Our team consists of highly skilled surgeons, cardiologists, electrophysiologists, nurses and technicians who work together to develop the best treatment plan for each and every patient.
  • Leading-edge procedures: We offer minimally invasive treatments that provide options to people who may have been previously told surgery was too risky.
  • A care philosophy centered around you – We believe heart care should be empathetic, responsive and best in class.
    • Empathetic – In order to create the optimal care plan, we strive to understand your lifestyle and how your symptoms affect you as a person.
    • Responsive – We continually work towards making care more convenient whether it is through increased appointment availability or telecardiology.
    • Best in class – For you to live longer and in better health, medical care has to be right, safe and effective.
  • Convenience: We bring advanced cardiovascular care to your community hospital. We don’t want you to have to travel far for expert cardiology care.

Midwest Heart and Vascular Specialists

Midwest Heart and Vascular Specialists are your Kansas City community cardiologists and cardiovascular and thoracic surgeons, providing comprehensive cardiovascular care as well as vascular and thoracic surgical services in greater KC and the surrounding areas.

Learn more about Midwest and Vascular Specialists 

Chest Pain Centers

Five of our hospitals in Kansas City are accredited by the American College of Cardiology as Chest Pain Centers:

This means that our hospitals use cutting-edge technology and a proven team-based approach to provide efficient, effective and coordinated care for the best possible outcomes.

At our chest pain centers, interventional cardiologists from the HCA Midwest Health Heart & Vascular Institute and cardiac catheterization lab work with emergency personnel to offer a customized level of care.

Comprehensive cardiology expertise

At HCA Midwest Health, we're committed to providing comprehensive care for all stages and types of cardiac disease, such as:

Heart disease

We use a team approach to coronary heart disease treatment, consisting of highly skilled surgeons, cardiologists, nurses and technicians who work together to develop the best treatment plan for every patient.

Heart failure

Heart failure is a serious condition in which the heart can’t pump enough blood throughout the body. It can't be cured, but it can be managed. Our cardiology staff is highly trained in treating heart failure and can help patients live an everyday life through various treatments and medications.

Heart attack

Our chest pain centers offer emergency heart care 24/7. They routinely exceed the national quality goal of a door-to-angioplasty time in under 90 minutes, which is the time considered ideal for clearing a blockage and having a patient survive a heart attack. We use a team-based approach with cardiologists, surgeons, nurses and rehabilitation therapists to ensure patients get quality care both during and after treatment.

Arrhythmia care

The electrophysiologists at the Kansas City Heart Rhythm Institute are world-renowned educators, researchers and clinicians who treat all types of heart arrhythmias.

Amyloidosis care

Amyloidosis causes an abnormal protein to build up in the body. These proteins accumulate within various organs, including your heart, eventually causing them to fail.

The heart specialists in HCA Midwest Health's cardiology program are highly trained in treating amyloidosis. It can help you live a normal life through various treatments and medications.

To talk with one of our cardiologists, you can schedule an appointment.

What causes amyloidosis?

Some types of amyloidosis are hereditary, while others can be brought on by age. Amyloidosis is a rare and potentially life-threatening disease is more common in people older than 65 years old and in African-American populations.

Types of amyloidosis

There are various types of amyloidosis affecting patients, including:

  • AL (primary) amyloidosis: Also known as immunoglobulin light chain amyloidosis, this is a condition in which an abnormal protein called amyloid builds up in tissues and organs, affecting their shape and functionality. Common treatments for AL include a combination of chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation. The median age of patients who are diagnosed with this type is 63 years old.
  • AA (secondary) amyloidosis: Secondary amyloidosis (AA) is a rare condition caused by inflammation resulting from either infectious chronic diseases or inflammatory chronic diseases. Treatment involves eliminating the source of inflammation.
  • ATTR (familial) amyloidosis: Familial or hereditary amyloidosis develops among people who inherit a specific genetic abnormality. In the most common type, the liver produces an abnormal or mutated form of a protein called transthyretin. Treatment for this form of amyloidosis is usually liver transplantation, although newer therapies are in clinical trials.
  • Wild-type (senile) ATTR amyloidosis: Age-related amyloidosis is also caused by the transthyretin protein, but in this instance the protein is normal or “wild type” in sequence, not mutated. The vast majority of cases of age-related amyloidosis occur in men 70 years old and older and involve symptoms of progressive heart failure.

Signs and symptoms of amyloidosis

Each patient has symptoms that depend on the type of amyloidosis and the organs involved. Many of these symptoms are general and can occur in other diseases, sometimes making diagnosis difficult. Here is a list of signs, symptoms or conditions that can help diagnose amyloidosis.

  • Atraumatic biceps tendon rupture
  • Diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome in both wrists
  • Digestive issues, such as nausea, diarrhea or constipation
  • Fatigue
  • Hand pain, numbness or tingling in your fingers
  • Heart and blood pressure medicines can make you feel worse
  • Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction
  • Irregular heart rhythm or rate
  • Knee or hip replacement
  • Lightheadedness when you stand up
  • Pain or numbness in your lower back and legs, which may be caused by lumbar spinal stenosis, or narrowing of the lower part of the spine
  • Shortness of breath
  • Swelling (edema) in the extremities
  • Unexplained weight loss

Amyloidosis diagnosis and treatment

Misdiagnosis is common with people with amyloidosis. A cardiologist will ask about your symptoms and medical history. It’s important to tell explain your symptoms and conditions as much as you can because amyloidosis symptoms can be similar to those of other conditions. The following tests can help make a diagnosis:

  • Blood and urine tests: These tests can be done to assess amyloid protein levels. Blood tests can also check your thyroid and liver function.
  • Echocardiogram: This imaging test uses sound waves to create pictures of your heart.
  • Biopsy: For this test, a doctor removes a sample of tissue from your liver, nerves, kidneys, heart, abdominal fat, or other organs. Analyzing the piece of tissue can help your doctor figure out what type of amyloid deposit you have.
  • Bone marrow aspiration and biopsy: Bone marrow aspiration uses a needle to remove a small amount of fluid from inside your bones. A bone marrow biopsy removes some of the tissue from inside your bone. These tests may be done together or separately. The samples are sent to a lab, where they’re checked for abnormal cells.

If a diagnosis is made, your doctor will figure out which type you have. This can be done with tests like immunochemical staining and protein electrophoresis. These include:

  • Amyloidosis medication therapy
  • Chemotherapy and bone marrow transplant
  • Heart transplant
  • Liver transplant
  • Using a combination of steroid and chemotherapy drugs

Heart surgery

Our interventional cardiologists have deep expertise and experience with leading-edge, minimally invasive procedures for cardiac emergencies and the treatment of heart conditions. Some of the types of heart surgery we conduct include:

  • Angioplasty
  • Aortic stent grafting
  • Cardiac stent
  • Chronic total occlusion percutaneous coronary intervention
  • Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG)
  • Coronary artery bypass
  • Minimally invasive interventional radiology procedures
  • Mitral valve regurgitation
  • Off-pump coronary artery bypass (CAB)
  • Surgical left ventricular assist device (LVAD)

 

Structural heart surgery

Cardiologists with HCA Midwest Health are specialists experienced in structural heart surgery. They use the latest techniques to repair heart abnormalities and diseased valves to improve your quality of life. Procedures include:

 

Vascular surgery

Our vascular surgeons are skilled in the latest surgical methods to treat serious vascular conditions and were the first in the Kansas City area to perform minimally invasive bypass surgery. The vein clinics at HCA Midwest Health offer state-of-the-art treatments for chronic venous insufficiency (the vein valve system is not functioning properly) and varicose veins.

Conditions we treat include:

  • Abdominal aortic aneurysm
  • Aortic dissection
  • Carotid artery disease
  • Claudication
  • Critical limb ischemia
  • Deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
  • Fibromuscular dysplasia
  • May-Thurner syndrome
  • Nutcracker syndrome
  • Peripheral artery disease
  • Peripheral vascular disease
  • Renal artery disease
  • Thoracic aortic aneurysm
  • Thoracic outlet syndrome
  • Varicose veins
  • Vertebral artery disease
  • Visceral artery disease

Cardiac rehabilitation

If you're recovering from a heart attack or have a heart condition such as congestive heart failure, your cardiologist may suggest cardiac rehabilitation. Our therapists and rehab specialists have experience in working with a variety of cardiac conditions, and we'll work with you to design a rehab program to meet your needs.

 

Pediatric cardiology

Our pediatric cardiology department has surgeons that are board-certified in pediatric care and fellowship-trained in pediatric cardiology. They are trained to treat infants and children who have congenital (present at birth) heart abnormalities.

 

Clinical Trials

The HCA Midwest Health clinical research program offers another therapeutic option for patients through clinical trials.

Care that helps prevent future cardiac emergencies

HCA Midwest Health offers the area's only patented information technology system that automatically scans diagnostic tests performed during an inpatient, outpatient or emergency room visit for additional signs that you may be at risk for a future cardiac emergency. If you are determined to be at risk, a nurse navigator will contact you to explain the findings and connect you with the appropriate follow up care.

Videos about our cardiology services

Showing 2 Videos

New Minimally Invasive Surgery Can Treat Heart Patients in Kansas City

Dr. Aaron Doonan, Board-certified Cardiologist at Lee’s Summit Medical Center and Research Medical Center at HCA Midwest Health, discussed two innovative, minimally invasive procedures for patients with Chronic Total Occlusion, or CTO.

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