Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)

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CAD is the leading cause of mortality in the United States. The UVa Heart Center offers a comprehensive array of both noninvasive and invasive diagnostic testing procedures to determine the presence and extent of cardiac diseases and disorders. UVa also provides state-of-the-art therapeutic procedures - among the most advanced available anywhere.


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Preventive Cardiology
Diagnostics
Medical Therapy 
Interventional Cardiology 
Surgery
Acute Myocardial Infarction and Unstable Angina
Women and Heart Disease

Diagnostics

Our state-of-the-art diagnostics includes a full range of imaging services to detect coronary artery disease. These capabilities are critical for determining the prognosis in patients with known CAD, providing preoperative risk stratification, assessing myocardial viability in patients with left ventricular dysfunction, and for diagnosing patients with chest pain.  We helped pioneer myocardial contrast echocardiography to detect CAD in its earliest stages.

Diagnostic studies include:

  • Electrocardiography 
  • Echocardiography, including transthoracic, transesophageal, stress, contrast, and intraoperative echocardiography
  • Doppler ultrasonography
  • Exercise and pharmacologic stress testing
  • Nuclear cardiology with myocardial perfusion imaging using gated SPECT technology and radionuclide angiography
  • Cardiac Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
  • Computed tomography (CT) scanning of coronary arteries and coronary calcium
  • Angiography and cardiac catheterization

For more information about Advanced Diagnostics and Imaging

Treatment Options

UVa's innovative array of therapeutic techniques includes those available only through ongoing research studies. Patients can also enter clinical trials that study the latest therapeutic modalities.

Current treatment options include:

Medical Therapy

  • Drug therapy

Noninvasive Therapy

  • Enhanced External Counterpulsation therapy (EECP) - For more information patients click here .

Interventional Cardiology

  • Balloon angioplasty
  • Stent insertions
  • Atherectomy
  • Rotoblater (rotational atherectomy) - A s mall spinning, diamond-tipped cutter that moves along a blood vessel to clear blockage.

Cardiovascular Surgery

  • Coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) including minimally invasive and off-pump
  • Endoscopic vein and radial artery harvest
  • Multi-vessel arterial grafting
  • Combination coronary revascularization and heart valve repair or replacement
  • Left ventricular resection/remodeling
  • Venticular assist device implantations
  • Heart transplant

Acute Myocardial Infarction and Unstable Angina

From the first signs of a problem, UVa provides rapid diagnosis and treatment of angina and myocardial infarction.  Uva's accredited Chest Pain Center uses a risk-based triage system, employing cardiac market test results and cardiac consultation to match a patient's acuity and appropriate setting of care.    Our "response to treatment" protocols meet and exceed national standards in rapid response time. 

Services and procedures include:

  • An accredited Chest Pain Unit in the ER
  • A 10-bed Coronary Care Unit with continuous monitoring
  • Stress/nuclear perfusion testing
  • Contrast echocardiography
  • Primary angioplasty
  • Thrombolytic therapy
  • Surgical services, including open heart surgery