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 care center in Gainesville
When you need immediate cardiac care, you can count on our experienced heart and vascular teams to help you get back to feeling your best.
At HCA Florida North Florida Hospital, our comprehensive cardiovascular program at The Heart & Vascular Center is designed to meet all your heart health needs using the latest advancements and innovative technologies. We are not only recognized by the American College of Cardiology as an Accredited Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI (percutaneous coronary intervention), but we were actually the first facility in Florida and the seventh in the nation to be accredited by the American College of Cardiology as a transcatheter aortic valve replacement certified facility.
Heart health profiler
Take our free, online heart health risk assessment to learn about your personal risk for heart disease.
Take our free, online heart health risk assessment to learn about your personal risk for heart disease.
Related Specialties
Learn more about our related specialties.
Heart and vascular conditions we treat
We treat the following conditions of the heart and blood vessels:
- Abdominal aortic aneurysms
- Atherosclerosis
- Congenital heart abnormalities
- Heart arrhythmias
- Heart attacks
- Structural heart conditions
- Valve disorders
- Vascular diseases
Our cardiovascular care program
We use state-of-the-art imaging and surgical techniques to diagnose and treat your cardiovascular condition. They include the following:
Cardiac imaging
Our hospital uses advanced imaging equipment for evaluating the heart's function. Heart imaging is crucial for visualizing the heart's structure and determining function. It also helps identify blockages in vital veins and arteries that can lead to severe conditions, such as a heart attack or cerebrovascular accident (stroke).
Our heart imaging services include:
- Arterial ultrasound
- Computerized tomography (CT)
- Echocardiogram
- Electrocardiogram
Cardiac catheterization laboratories
Our hospital is home to three full-service cardiac cath labs. We perform a variety of procedures in our cath labs, but the main function is to perform cardiac catheterizations. These are procedures used to assess the structure and function of the heart's valves, chambers and coronary arteries.
During a cardiac catheterization, small, flexible tubes (called catheters) are inserted into the veins or arteries and guided to various chambers in the heart. The catheters are small enough to be passed through the blood vessels without patient discomfort. An X-ray dye is injected through the catheter and cameras are used to record images of blood flowing through the vessels.
For more information, please contact our cath lab team at (352) 333-4925.
Electrophysiology lab
Our cardiovascular team includes cardiac electrophysiologists who offer advanced care in the diagnosis and treatment of heart arrhythmias. Our hospital includes a dedicated laboratory for electrophysiology (EP) studies. These studies are a form of diagnostic testing used to study the heart's electrical system when abnormalities have been identified.
Treatments for heart arrhythmias may include:
- Cardiac catheter ablation
- Implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) implantation
- Permanent pacemaker placement
- Maze Surgical treatment for arrhythmia
Vascular disease care
There are many types of vascular disease that affect the veins and arteries that make up the body's vascular system. Vascular disease occurs when a blood vessel becomes narrowed or blocked. This results in decreased blood flow to areas of the body, such as the lower extremities and brain.
We offer a variety of options to treat conditions such as atherosclerosis and abdominal aortic aneurysms. In addition to traditional, open surgical approaches, we also perform minimally invasive endovascular procedures. These procedures offer a faster recovery time and promising patient outcomes.
Interventional cardiology program
Our heart specialists offer patients a variety of cardiovascular surgical options for the treatment of heart and vascular conditions. We offer minimally invasive interventional cardiology procedures in addition to traditional open-heart surgery.
Our surgical services include:
- Valve repair and replacement
- Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG)
- Repair of congenital heart abnormalities in adults
Cardiac rehabilitation program
Following a cardiac surgery or heart event, many patients will participate in cardiac rehabilitation. Cardiac rehab helps patients regain strength and provides education on healthy dietary and lifestyle changes.
We offer a three-phase cardiac rehabilitation program that focuses on monitored exercise and education on factors that contribute to heart disease, such as poor nutrition and high stress levels.
Choosing a cardiologist
Choosing a cardiologist is an important decision when it comes to your heart health, and your physician should be someone who readily listens to your concerns.
Early signs and symptoms
Someone might have one or more of these common symptoms when they are having a heart attack event. When they start, they can be mild or come and go. EHAC encourages you to know the subtle signs of a heart attack and act on them - before irreversible heart damage occurs. Look for the following early warning signs:
- Feeling of fullness
- Pain that travels down one or both arms
- Jaw pain
- Excessive fatigue
- Anxiety
- Chest pressure, squeezing, aching, or burning
- Back pain
- Shortness of breath
If you are experiencing these symptoms, call 911 immediately. If you miss the early signs and/or someone collapses in your presence, call 911 and begin hands-only CPR. If an AED is available, deploy it as soon as possible. You can learn more about hands-only CPR by visiting the American Heart Association's website at heart.org.
Early heart attack care
Early Heart Attack Care (or EHAC) education focuses on informing the general public about a heart attack's early signs and symptoms.
Important facts to know
Here are some facts on why this is important for you to know:
- About 750,000 people in the U.S. have heart attacks each year, with 15 percent of cases being fatal.
- Many of these patients experienced early symptoms.
- Most heart damage can occur within the first two hours of a heart attack.
Early signs and symptoms
Someone might have one or more of these common symptoms when they are having a heart attack event. When they start, they can be mild or come and go. EHAC encourages you to know the subtle signs of a heart attack and act on them - before irreversible heart damage occurs. Look for the following early warning signs:
- Feeling of fullness
- Pain that travels down one or both arms
- Jaw pain
- Excessive fatigue
- Anxiety
- Chest pressure, squeezing, aching, or burning
- Back pain
- Shortness of breath
If you are experiencing these symptoms, call 911 immediately. If you miss the early signs and/or someone collapses in your presence, call 911 and begin hands-only CPR. If an AED is available, deploy it as soon as possible. You can learn more about hands-only CPR by visiting the American Heart Association's website.
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