Vanderbilt Heart Signature Program

Great strides have been made in heart care.  In the case of heart disease and stroke, medical breakthroughs mean that patients today have much better recoverires.  But heart disease remains the number one cause of death in men and women worldwide.  Closer to home, Tennessee ranks high in the U.S. for death from heart disease and stroke. 

The Vanderbilt Heart Preventive Cardiology program was created to bring the best in evidence-based preventive care to our patients.  The program is designed to evaluate your risk for heart disease or recurring heart and vascular problems.  Using the most advanced techniques, our heart specialists determine what is best for your unique needs.  Our personalized approach combines heart healthy lifestyle strategies with appropriate medications, if needed. 

The Preventive Cardiology program is located in Nashville at Vanderbilt Heart One Hundred Oaks.  Your clinic visit, prevention screening and diagnostic testing will all take place in this one convenient location.  Parking is by our entrance and includes handicap parking.  

 Understanding Heart and Vascular Preventive Care

The program begins by evaluating your risk factors for heart and vascular diseases such as:

Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) - disease of the heart caused by atherosclerotic narrowing of the coronary arteries, which could result in chest pain (angina pectoris), heart attack or sudden death.

Carotid Artery Disease (Carotid atery stenosis) - the carotid arteries in your neck supply blood to your brain.  A carotid artery narrowed by atherosclerosis (plaque buildup in the artery walls) increases the risk of stroke. 

Peripheral Artery Disease - disease caused by the narrowing of blood vessels carrying blood to the legs and arms.  This narrowing is also caused by atherosclerotic plaque within artery walls and can result in debilitating leg pain (claudication). 

Risk factors for heart and vascular disease include age, gender, family history of cardiovascular disease, smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, high stress and physical inactivity.  Following a comprehensive history, physical examination, laboratory assessment, and noninvasive heart and vascular screening tests, patients meet with members of their heart team to formulate their individualized health plan. 

Our prevention screenings include state-of-the-art and traditional tests to identify risks of heart and vascular disease.  These include:  

Laboratory Data (biomarkers)

• Comprehensive lab assessment -  includes a complete blood count and comprehensive metabolic profile.
• Complete fasting lipid profile - includes total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, each of which has been strongly linked to cardiovascular disease risk.
• Lipoprotein (a) - type of cholesterol that can predict cardiovascular events and is especially useful in younger people. 
• High-sensitivity C-reactive protein - marker of inflammation, which is associated with cardiovascular disease risk; lowering of this marker has been shown to decrease risk. 
• Fibrinogen - marker of thrombosis (blood clotting), which predicts future cardiovascular events.

Cardiac Screening Tests

• Electrocardiogram (ECG) - screening test that records the electrical activity of the heart; an ECG is the standard tool for diagnosing arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms) and can also help determine whether the heart is getting enough blood or it areas of the heart are abnormally thick or enlarged.  Click here to learn more about this test.  
• Excercise treadmill test - stress test that uses treadmill exercise, heart rate and blood pressure monitoring to determine basic exercise capacity.  This test helps identify or rule out the presence of obstructive coronary artery disease or insufficient blood supply to the heart.
• Coronary artery calcium score - low-radiation CT scan that measures the amount of calcium (atherosclerotic plaque) in the coronary arteries.  The presence and degree of coronary calcification have been associated with cardiovascular risk. 

Peripheral Vascular Screening Tests

• Ankle brachial index test - screening test for peripheral artery disease that compares blood pressure in the arms with blood pressure in the legs.
• Carotid artery ultrasound - screening test for atherosclerotic plaque blockages within the carotid arteries.
• Abdominal aorta ultrasound - screening test for abdominal aortic aneurysm (enlargement) that may lead to rupture of the aorta.
  
   

Your Heart Healthy Plan

At Vanderbilt Heart, we know that it takes more than appropriate medications to live a heart healthy life.  We work with you to create long-term exercise and weight management plans to increase your heart and vascular health, fitness and endurance.  Our goal is to help you make these changes a permanent part of your life. 

The program also offers complex lipid and metabolic disorder management for coronary heart disease or other heart and vascular conditions. 

Your preventive cardiology team includes:

Preventive Cardiologist - assesses your heart risk factors, develops a health plan and monitors your heart health.
Registered Dietician - provides heart healthy dietary counseling; recommendations are customized and based on your food preferences.
Program Coordinator / Registered Nurse - organizes follow-up communication to monitor your progress in between clinic visits.

Preventive Cardiology Team

Director, Preventive Cardiology:  Emily G. Kurtz, MD

Jeffrey B. Boord, M.D.
Sergio Fazio, M.D., Ph.D.
MacRae F. Linton, M.D.
David Maron, M.D.
Beth Meador, ACNS-BC, CDE
Holly Pierce, ANP-BC
Lisa Foust, RN
Cindy Osborn, RD, LDN, CDE