Heart and vascular surgery

Heart arrhythmias are disruptions in a regular heart rhythm, which can include slow, irregular or fast heart beats.  They occur when the electrical impulses to the heart stray from their normal sequence and can range from being harmless to life-threatening. HCA Florida JFK Hospital offers atrial fibrillation ablation, a procedure for effectively shutting down specific areas of the heart that trigger abnormally fast rhythms. Our electrophysiology (EP) lab is the premier facility in Florida.

Cardiac ablations

Cardiac ablations are procedures that can correct heart rhythm problems or arrhythmias, such as atrial fibrillation, supraventricular tachycardia (an irregularly fast heartbeat), ventricular tachycardia (an abnormal heart rhythm where the lower chamber of the heart beats too fast) and failed ablation.

Implantable devices

Implantable devices provide electrical stimulation to particular areas of the heart to help maintain a normal heart rate and/or rhythm to a heart that’s diseased or damaged

There are three primary categories of implantable devices: pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) and biventricular pacemakers or ICDs.

Our services

• A-Fib ablation
• SVT ablation
• AV node ablation
• V tach ablation
• Pacer implant
• ICD implant
• Left atrial appendage closure (LAAC)

As an extension of our cardiology services, our Cath Lab offers a range of minimally invasive procedures. Our interventional cardiologists provide minimally invasive procedures for structural heart diseases and 24/7 STEMI coverage for JFK's Accredited Chest Pain Center.

Our services

• High-risk PCI patients
• Transradial approach
• Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR)
• Transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVR)
• Chronic total occlusions (CTO)
• Left atrial appendage closure (LAAC)

Multidisciplinary valve clinic

Our multidisciplinary valve clinic provides assessments and treatment options for patients with complex valve disorders. This includes mitral and aortic valve repair, transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR), catheter-based interventions, as well as minimally invasive and open surgical interventions.

We are proud to be the first hospital in Palm Beach County to perform innovative structural heart procedures, such as TAVR and TMVR. The team at JFK has performed over 2,000 TAVR procedures.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR)

TAVR offers a minimally invasive treatment option for patients with aortic stenosis who may be too high risk for traditional heart valve replacement. This procedure involves replacing the damaged aortic valve with a catheter. As a result, it helps increase blood flow and reduce aortic stenosis symptoms. Since our program’s inception in 2012, we have performed over 1,000 TAVR procedures.

Hybrid procedures

There are numerous options for non-operative candidates with critical aortic stenosis. Hybrid procedures, which combine what might traditionally necessitate multiple operations into one customized procedure, minimize the need for additional procedures, lower morbidities and mortalities and improve patient recovery time. Hybrid procedures offer potentially less invasive solutions and are slowly replacing the conventional surgical approach to aortic disease.

Complex aortic surgical procedures

For more critically ill patients requiring surgery, our complex aortic disease specialists perform expertly complex aortic surgical procedures including:

• Aortic root reconstruction
• TAVR
• TMVR
• Aortic arch
• Endovascular stent grafting
• Hybrid procedures (open/endovascular)

Without therapy, the diagnosis of severe aortic stenosis carries a 50% two-year mortality. We have available treatment for the spectrum of aortic disease.

The Advanced Heart Care Center at HCA Florida JFK Hospital has an experienced team of professionals who are specialized in advanced heart failure management. Our physicians will partner with your current cardiologist or primary care physician to give you only the best care and improve your quality of life.

Our services

• Ventricular assist devices (VAD)
• Pulmonary artery pressure monitoring
• Ultrafiltration
• Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT)
• Diuretic infusions in a comfortable clinic setting
• Medication management infusion therapy/diuretics
• ECMO
• Heart pumps
• Heart failure (HF) monitoring system

About heart failure

Heart failure is a chronic, progressive condition that develops when the heart muscle weakens and is unable to pump a sufficient amount of blood throughout the body. More than 600,000 Americans are living with heart failure and is a frequent cause for hospitalizations. Heart failure worsens over time and is typically caused by persistent high blood pressure, heart attack, valve disease and other forms of heart disease or birth defects. Left untreated, the lack of adequate blood flow causes the organs to progressively fail, resulting in numerous medical complications that deteriorate a person's quality of life.

Mechanical circulatory support program

We offer long-term left ventricular assist devices (LVADs). The Mechanical Circulatory Support Program at HCA Florida JFK Hospital features a multidisciplinary team of expert cardiologists, cardiovascular surgeons, nurse practitioners and program coordinators dedicated to helping advanced heart failure patients.

What is an LVAD?

A left ventricular assist device is a mechanical device that circulates blood through the body when the heart is too weak to pump blood adequately on its own. It is designed to supplement the pumping function of the heart. It is surgically attached to the left ventricle and to the aorta, the main artery that carries oxygenated blood from the left ventricle to the entire body. An external, wearable system that includes a small controller and two batteries is attached by an external driveline. The wearable system is either worn under or on top of clothing.

We are proud to have a cardiac rehabilitation program certified by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation. This program is designed for patents recovering from a heart attack, heart surgery or stable angina. We address risk factors, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, low functional capacity, obesity, tobacco abuse and high stress.

After discharge, we provide outpatient rehabilitation. This typically consists of three sessions per week with electrocardiogram (ECG)-monitored exercise and continuing education related to coronary artery disease (CAD) risk factor modification. Exercise sessions focus on aerobic conditioning with light resistance training.

Through our active participation in some of the country’s leading clinical trials, we’re able to provide cutting-edge treatments and procedures to our patients. Our collaboration with many of our physicians has enabled us to participate in over 200 clinical trials.

We are participant in the Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation (CISRP), an independent non-profit organization with the purpose of educating the public, patients, medical/research communities, media and policymakers to promote greater understanding and awareness of clinical research participation and the role it plays in public health.