Heart disease is not only the leading cause of death in the United States—it’s also one of the main culprits leading to disability. That’s why CVI is treating patients in Ocala with passionate care and cutting-edge technology—so their hearts stay healthy for years to come.
During initial consultations, doctors evaluate the cardiac problem, provide second opinions or perform echocardiograms and stress testing. They can even perform TEE (transesophageal echocardiograms) on-site to get a closer look at the heart muscle and cardiac valves, a procedure typically performed only in hospitals.
Patients who require catheterization to diagnose their condition will be relieved by the sophistication and convenience of CVI’s on-site cath lab.
“It’s state of the art. We do cardiac catheterization, peripheral angiograms and peripheral vascular interventional procedures in our outpatient interventional suite (OIS),” says Dr. Siva Gummadi, MD FACC. “We are the first outpatient cath lab in the area using carbon dioxide imaging. In patients with kidney problems, we inject carbon dioxide into the arteries for imaging and for interventional procedures, so we can avoid contrast induced kidney damage.”
Interventional cardiologist Dr. Paul Urban, MD, FACC, FSCAI, says the outpatient interventional suite provides the optimal setting for patients to undergo these procedures.
“I think it’s much less hectic than a hospital, and you’re not going into this big, multi-storied building and walking down five different halls. It’s much easier access for our folks, and it’s safe. If we have people who we think are high-risk, we’ll take them to the hospital, but a major chunk we can do right here,” he says.
Passionate care is a core tenet at CVI. Dr. Srisha Rao, MD, FACC, has been with Cardiovascular Institute of Central Florida for nearly 20 years. She and her fellow practitioners have built many lasting relationships with their patients in that time.
“One thing that’s been consistent is that patient satisfaction is very high, not just because of the physicians but the entire team,” she says. “We have a great set of people working in our office, and we have to give a lot of credit to our technicians and staff because they’re extremely good about managing our echocardiogram lab, our stress lab and the front office. This is a good place.”
There are different specialties in cardiology, and CVI’s staff of doctors and nurse practitioners cover all areas of expertise. This variety of experience allows them to tackle any issue, no matter how complex.
“If someone is coming in to see us, we can take care of everything from diagnosing their condition to treatment,” states Dr. Prem Singh, MD, FACC, FSCAI. “You won’t be going to a different doctor every time. We have the capability of taking care of all cardiac and vascular conditions. Our interventional cardiologists are capable of treating abdominal aortic aneurysms and certain carotid artery blockages with stents.”
As with any matter of health, these doctors say prevention is the key when it comes to heart disease. While CVI is an excellent choice for heart treatment, they focus just as much on risk reduction for their patients.
“We always talk to patients about screenings and risk reduction,” Dr. Singh explains. “Most of the patients don’t have heart attacks, but they have multiple risk factors, and when you multiply those risk factors, they have a likelihood of having a heart attack. I have long discussions with those patients about changing their lifestyle and getting involved with cholesterol reduction and exercise. Lifestyle can make a huge difference—no medicine can give us that much benefit.”
“Along with exercise, we at CVI often discuss diet, stress management techniques and smoking cessation with patients who need to lower their risk of heart disease,” says Dr. Koka Vijayanarayana, M.D, F.A.C.C. “We are always on the lookout for factors like hypertension, diabetes or high cholesterol.”
Cardiovascular Institute of Central Florida is currently accepting new patients, and they invite patient seeking a practice where they can feel comfortable and well cared for to make an appointment.
“We create an environment where patients with heart and vascular problems are at ease, not only while we are investigating the reason but when communicating the results of the test,” says Hima Mikkilineni, M.D., F.A.C.C. “Whether they are normal or abnormal, we try our best to keep the patient at ease.”
