We all know that a healthy heart is at the center of our overall well-being, but millions of Americans are diagnosed with some kind of heart condition each year. With so many conditions that can affect your heart, it can be difficult to know how to heal, manage and prevent heart conditions. Our board-certified cardiologists (heart doctors) are here to help you improve your heart health and recover from the unexpected.

At HealthPartners and Park Nicollet, we offer heart care at more than 20 Minnesota and Wisconsin locations, including award-winning care at Regions Hospital Heart Center and Methodist Hospital.

No matter which clinic you visit or cardiologist you see, we use the latest technology, research and medications to manage and treat even the most complex heart conditions.

From the straightforward to the most complex, we can treat all types of heart conditions. Here are some of the most common conditions we treat:

• Coronary artery disease – Coronary artery disease is caused by plaque buildup within the walls of your arteries. This narrows the space for blood to flow and can cause a number of conditions like a heart attack or heart failure.
• Congestive heart failure – Your heart pumps blood through your body to make sure that you get enough blood flow and oxygen. Heart failure occurs when your heart isn’t able to keep up with the amount of oxygen your body needs. Our dedicated Heart Failure Program works to address heart failure and get you back on your feet.
• Valvular heart disease – Your heart opens and closes four valves to control the flow of blood through your heart and to keep it moving in the right direction. Valvular heart disease, or heart valve disease, weakens these valves’ ability to open and close properly. This harms your heart’s ability to pump blood through your body. Our team of heart health experts will run specialized tests to identify the cause of your heart valve disease.
• Irregular heartbeat – An irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) is a condition that can cause your heart to beat too quickly, too slowly or at an irregular pace. It might feel like a fluttering of your heart or it might cause pain, weakness or fainting. No matter the case, our cardiologists start by monitoring your heart and discussing treatment options with you.
• Congenital heart disease – Some heart problems start at the beginning of life. Congenital heart disease occurs when heart structures do not develop properly at birth. This can lead to problems with the flow of blood in and around the heart that your doctor may notice very early in infancy. But in some situations, congenital heart disease can go undetected until later in life.

Symptoms of heart disease may differ from person to person. People with heart disease may experience shortness of breath, fatigue, chest pain, palpitations and fainting. If you are experiencing any unusual symptoms that you are concerned about, it’s a good idea to schedule an appointment with one of our primary care doctors. Our primary care doctors are experts in diagnosing hundreds of conditions. When the help of a specialist is needed, one of our primary care doctors will refer you to one of our heart care experts.

There are many types of heart conditions, and for that reason, there are many types of tests and screenings used to help identify the cause of your symptoms. Some of the most common tests to diagnose heart conditions include:

• Clinical examination – Using a stethoscope, our doctors will listen to your heartbeat for heart sounds and regularity – both of which are indicators of baseline heart health.
• Blood pressure test – Blood pressure is a measurement of the pressure in your arteries as your heart pumps. Our nurses check your blood pressure using a cuff that goes around your upper arm. This test checks for high blood pressure that can cause damage to your heart, including your arteries, if left untreated.
• Electrocardiogram (EKG) – Also commonly called an EKG, this test allows us to measure your heart’s electrical activity. We place small sensors on your chest. In minutes, these sensors will measure your heart’s electrical activity, which helps doctors understand how well your heart functions.
• Blood test – By drawing a small sample of blood, we can measure many markers, including cholesterol in your bloodstream. These markers are indicators of heart disease and risk of heart attack.
• Echocardiogram and stress tests – Working together, our doctors and technicians will monitor your heart and heart valve functions while you walk, run or bike on a treadmill or stationary machine. This will let your doctor know how your heart performs during strenuous activity.
• Nuclear stress tests – These scans use short-lived radioactive dye and a specialized camera to take detailed images of your heart. This will help your doctor identify any problem areas within the heart and get detailed measurements of how efficiently your heart is pumping blood while you are exercising.
• Computer tomography angiography (CTA) – A CTA uses an X-ray scanner to take detailed images of the inside of your body. By using a special iodine-based contrast dye, a CTA can take a close look at the structure and condition of your blood vessels and heart chambers. Our doctors use a specific version of this test known as a heart CTA, or coronary CTA, to examine the blood vessels in and around your heart.
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) – Using magnetic field technology and radio waves, this test will produce detailed pictures of the structures within and around your heart. These detailed images will allow us to pinpoint the precise location of blockages and evaluate your heart structures, including disease of the heart muscle itself.
• Electrophysiology testing – When an irregular heartbeat, or heart arrhythmia happens, it may be due to something going wrong with the electrical pathways of your heart. Electrophysiology tests use electrodes to monitor and measure the electrical activity in your heart, which allows your doctor to have a greater understanding of what may be causing your irregular heartbeat.
• Angiograms – An angiogram is a test that uses an X-ray to check how well your blood is flowing through your heart’s blood vessels. We’ll give you a shot with dye that makes it possible for your arteries to be seen on an X-ray. This helps check for blockages in your arteries and damage to your heart muscle.

Our cardiologists will work with you to determine which treatment option is the best fit for your unique needs. Common treatment options include:

Medicines are commonly used to help treat symptoms or causes of heart conditions. Medicine can be used to lower cholesterol, prevent blood clots, lower blood pressure and treat heart failure. While there are many varieties of heart medications available, the most commonly prescribed are:

• Antiplatelet agents
• Statins and other lipid lowering medications
• ACE inhibitors
• Beta-blockers
• Blood thinners (anti-coagulants)

Sometimes, your doctor might recommend a medical device to help you recover from or manage your heart condition. This might be a pacemaker to correct an irregular heartbeat or a heart stent. We offer:

• Angioplasty and coronary stents
• Pacemakers and defibrillators
• Other implants, including the Watchman Device
• CardioMEMS – heart failure monitoring and prevention system

There are more options than ever before for treating heart conditions. From minor procedures to comprehensive physical therapies, we can guide you through the choices available to you, which might include:

• Radiofrequency ablation and cryoablation for atrial fibrillation (AFib), atrial flutter, atrial tachycardia (ATC), premature ventricular contractions (PVCs), supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) and ventricular tachycardia (VT)
  
• Pacemakers for slow heartbeat
• Biventricular pacemakers
• Automatic implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (AICD) pacemakers
• Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR)
• Minimally invasive valve interventions, such as MitraClip
• Laser lead extraction
• Cardiac rehabilitation

When medications and nonsurgical treatments won’t improve your heart condition, surgical intervention is sometimes required. If that happens, our cardiothoracic surgery team is here for you. Our team of experts use the latest surgical techniques to correct and restore function to the heart.

Heart surgery can treat conditions like blocked or clogged heart arteries and veins, valve issues, congenital heart defects, abnormalities of major arteries (such as the aorta) and heart failure. Our heart surgeons perform thousands of surgeries each year, including:

• Aortic surgery
• Aortic valve repair
• Aortic valve replacement
• Coronary bypass surgery
• Left atrial appendage ligation
  
• MAZE procedure for atrial fibrillation
  
• Mitral valve repair and/or replacement
  
• Pulmonic or Tricuspid valve surgery
• Release of pericardial constriction
  
• Repair and correction of congenital aortic valve problems