Cardiac Care

The Cardiovascular Center has six cardiac catheterization laboratories and six interventional radiology suites in over 77,000 square-feet of dedicated space. Designed with patient comfort in mind, the 47 pre and post-procedure rooms have private bathrooms and are equipped with televisions and telephones. Click here to take a virtual tour of the Cardiovascular Center.

Tampa General Hospital provides advanced, innovative methods for diagnosing and treating patients with heart and vascular disease. Among the comprehensive services provided at TGH are:

Non – Invasive / Diagnostic Cardiology Procedures

Blood Analysis - Blood tests can detect cardiac enzymes and measure cholesterol levels to identify specific cardiac problems.

Cardiac CT Angiography - Cardiac CT angiography is a way to evaluate the chambers of the heart and the vessels that supply the heart with blood. This test is beneficial for looking for plaque and regions of narrowing or blockage in the coronary vessels, evaluating abnormalities in the location of the coronary vessels, evaluating the presence of masses in the heart, and evaluating the presence of abnormal anatomic connections in the heart.

Echocardiography - A small device placed on the chest uses sound waves to create images of the heart's structures, movement and pumping strength.

Electrocardiography (ECG or EKG) - A measurement of the heart's electrical activity using electrodes placed on the chest to determine if a heart attack has occurred, the location and extent of heart damage, and cardiac rhythm problems.

Exercise Stress Testing - Stress testing is used to determine the heart's response to different levels of exertion. During this test, a patient walks on a treadmill while the heart, blood pressure and any symptoms are closely monitored. It may be combined with echocardiography to evaluate ultrasound images of the heart at the same time.

Echocardiogram - is a type of ultrasound test that uses high-pitched sound waves that are sent through a device called a transducer. The device picks up echoes of the sound waves as they bounce off the different parts of the heart. These echoes are turned into moving pictures of the heart that can be seen on a video screen.

Holter or Event Monitoring - A small portable EKG monitor worn over a period of time. The monitor provides continuous measurement of the heart's electrical activity.

Magnetic Resonance Angiogram (MRA) - is a non-invasive test that has demonstrated usefulness in defining the anatomy of blood vessels of certain size. MRA serves as a complement to traditional MRI scanning in evaluation of blood vessels.

Muga Scan - A Muga scan measures heart movement and pumping strength. During the test, a small camera tracks the movement of a small amount of tracer solution that has been injected into an arm vein.

Perfusion Stress Testing - Similar to exercise stress testing, a perfusion test involves injection of a small amount of a radioisotope tracer solution. A special camera tracks movement of the tracer solution immediately after exercise. The test is used to reveal areas of decreased blood flow to the heart muscle during exercise and at rest. Certain medications may be administered in place of the treadmill for patients unable to exercise.

Signaled Average ECG – Perfused tissue is illuminated and light passing through the tissue or reflected from it is detected to produce an electrical signal. Amplitude pulses corresponding to the subject's heart beat are detected in the electrical signal and the areas of these pulses are calculated to produce blood flow values indicative of the blood volume pumped by the heart. The blood flow values may be used alone or in combination with other measured cardiac parameters to evaluate cardiac function.

Tilt Table Test - A tilt table test is a medical procedure often used to diagnose dysautonomia or syncope. Patients with symptoms of dizziness or lightheadedness, with or without a loss of consciousness (fainting), suspected to be associated with a drop in blood pressure or positional tachycardia are good candidates for this test.

Invasive Cardiac Treatment Procedures

Tampa General offers a full range of cutting edge non-surgical treatment options, including:

Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation – Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm) and involves the two upper chambers (atria) of the heart. It can often be diagnosed by taking a pulse and observing that the heartbeats don't occur at regular intervals. Another indication of AF is the absence of P waves on an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), which are normally present when there is a coordinated atrial contraction at the beginning of each heart beat. The risk of developing AF increases with age. Three to five percent of people over the age of 65 have AF. Ablation may be effective in some AF patients when medications do not work. During ablation, thin, flexible tubes are introduced through a blood vessel and directed to the heart muscle. A burst of electrical energy is administered to destroy tissue that triggers abnormal electrical signals or to block abnormal electrical pathways.

Atherectomy (Rotablater) - This procedure is conducted to open coronary arteries blocked by plaque. Through cardiac catheterization, a catheter is advanced to an artery's blockage, where it removes the plaque buildup either by a laser beam or a cutting device.

Balloon Angioplasty - Also known as percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, or PTCA, this procedure is used to open blocked coronary arteries. During cardiac catheterization, an expandable balloon is delivered through a catheter into a narrowed part of the coronary artery. The balloon is then inflated, stretching the artery open and allowing blood to flow through.

Balloon Valvuloplasty - Similar to a balloon angioplasty, this procedure is performed to enlarge the opening of a narrowed heart valve. During balloon valvuloplasty, a catheter is guided into the narrowed valve. Then a tiny balloon is inflated and deflated several times to stretch the valve's opening.

Cardiac Catheterization - is the insertion of a catheter into a chamber or vessel of the heart. This is done for both investigational and interventional purposes. Coronary catheterization is a subset of this technique, involving the catheterization of the coronary arteries.

Device Lead Extractions - A lead is a special wire that delivers energy from a pacemaker or implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) to the heart muscle. A lead extraction is the removal of one or more leads from inside the heart. Leads that are placed outside the heart during open heart surgery cannot be removed during this type of procedure.

Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator (ICD) - is a small battery-powered electrical impulse generator which is implanted in patients who are at risk of sudden cardiac death due to ventricular fibrillation. The device is programmed to detect cardiac arrhythmia and correct it by delivering a jolt of electricity. In current variants, the ability to revert ventricular fibrillation has been extended to include both atrial and ventricular arrhythmias as well as the ability to perform biventricular pacing in patients with congestive heart failure or bradycardia.

Intra-Cardiac Echocardiography (ICE) - is an imaging technique that is an alternative to transoesophageal echocardiography to guide interventional procedures through the skin. A probe is inserted under local anesthesia and is principally used during closure of atrial septal abnormalities. The main advantages of ICE over transoesophageal echocardiography include the elimination of the need for general anesthesia, clearer imaging, shorter procedure times and reduced radiation doses to the patient.

Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) - is a medical imaging methodology using a specially designed catheter with a miniaturized ultrasound probe attached to the insertion end of the catheter. The other end of the catheter is attached to computerized ultrasound equipment. It allows the application of ultrasound technology to see from inside blood vessels out through the surrounding blood column, visualizing the endothelium (inner wall) of blood vessels.

Mitral Valvuloplasty (Balloon Valvuloplasty) - is a minimally invasive therapeutic procedure to correct a mitral stenosis by dilating the valve using a balloon. Mitral valvuloplasty is an alternative to surgery for treatment of valvular and congenital heart diseases.

Radiofrequency Ablation - This procedure treats rapid or irregular heartbeats. It involves using mild, painless radiofrequency energy to destroy cells in the heart that are creating the extra impulses causing the irregular rhythms.

Stenting -- Through cardiac catheterization, a wire mesh tube called a stent is permanently placed in a blocked artery to hold it open and allow blood to circulate. Both metal and drug-eluting stents, which secrete drugs that help prevent the blood vessel from reclosing, are available.

Electrophysiology Procedures

Cardiac Electrophysiology Studies - are specialized procedures conducted by a highly trained cardiac specialist, the electrophysiologist. During these procedures, one or more thin, flexible wires, called catheters, are inserted into a blood vessel (usually in the groin) and guided into the heart. Each catheter has one or more electrodes to measure the heart’s electrical signals as they travel from one chamber to another.

Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) - is a medical procedure where part of the electrical conduction system of the heart, tumor or other dysfunctional tissue is ablated, or removed, using a high frequency alternating current to treat a medical disorder.

Surgical Treatment Procedures

Our surgeons have extensive experience in complex cardiac surgeries including:

Minimally Invasive Heart Surgery - Surgery is performed through a small incision, usually about three to four inches instead of the six- to eight-inch incisions required for traditional surgery. Specialized surgical instruments are frequently used. Minimally invasive surgery can be used in place of traditional surgery for many procedures.

Aortic Aneurysm Repairs - Aneurysms are balloon-like bulges in arteries in danger of rupturing. They can be repaired by inserting a tube-like device called a graft into the weakened blood vessel, allowing blood to flow easily through the vessel and preventing it from rupturing.

Click here to view a replay of a live webcast of an endovascular repair of an abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) Surgery - CABG involves attaching a blood vessel taken from another area in the heart, legs or arms and grafting it to a blocked artery, creating a detour for blood flow around the blockage.

Implantable Defibrillator Insertion - A defibrillator is implanted into the chest wall to maintain a normal heart rhythm. The defibrillator works by sending a mild electric charge to the heart muscle when it detects an abnormally fast rhythm.

Pacemaker Insertion - Leads from a pacemaker are placed in an area of the heart to help regulate the heartbeat when the natural rate is too slow to pump enough blood to the body.

Valve Repair or Replacement - Valves that are leaking or have narrowed can be repaired or replaced by a new mechanical or tissue valve.

Ventricular Assist Devices (VADs) - A VAD is a small mechanical device that helps an ailing heart pump blood. VADs can be used short term while a patient waits for a heart transplant or long term for patients not eligible for transplantation. Click here for more information.

Heart Transplantation -- Tampa General performed the first successful heart transplant in Florida and is now one of 12 centers nationally to have performed more than 500 heart transplants. Additionally, we're the fifth busiest cardiac transplant center in the U.S. Click here for more information.

Cardiac Rehabilitation

Tampa General’s Cardiac Rehabilitation Program is designed to improve cardiovascular fitness, function, and knowledge for people with heart disease or who have had cardiac surgery or heart transplants.

The program includes three phases: Phase I of the recovery process begins while the patient is in the hospital after a cardiac event. Phase II is a 12-week outpatient program consisting of 36 sessions of progressive monitored exercise. During this phase, patients are also provided educational materials and counseling about heart disease and how to minimize its risks. Phase III is an individualized exercise program designed to last the patient's lifetime.

The Cardiac Rehabilitation Program is under the direction of a physician and supervised by an interdisciplinary staff trained in the field of cardiac rehabilitation and prevention. Each team member is certified in advanced cardiac life support.