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Category Archives: Practice News

Five Star Review for the Cath Lab!

Dr. Van Crisco and his team received a five star review from a patient who recently received care at our Outpatient Cath Lab: “All staff was excellent and put up with my nervous sense of humor. Thank you to all, especially Dr. Crisco.” – C.W. Our state-of-the-art, free-standing Cath Lab is a convenient location where patients can receive high-quality imaging and interventional care from our clinical team, in a far more comfortable environment than any hospital. #patientreview #cathlab

Congratulations, Dr. Miciah Jones!

Congratulations, Dr. Miciah Jones! He recently completed his fellowship and has now earned the designation of Fellow of the American College of Cardiology (FACC). Dr. Jones is an interventional cardiologist at First Coast Heart & Vascular Center with expertise in preventive cardiology, general cardiology, acute heart attack care, and both non-invasive and interventional management of peripheral and coronary artery disease.

First MitraClip™ procedure at Flagler Hospital

FCHV is thrilled to announce, Dr. Sunil Singh, FACC, FSCAI, and team recently completed the first MitraClip™ procedure at Flagler Hospital. Dr. Singh has introduced the procedure as part of the Structural Heart Program with Flagler Health+. This program provides the expert advanced cardiac care and procedures to local Saint Johns County residents.

MitraClip is a minimally invasive procedure to fix your leaky mitral valve. Otherwise known as Mitral Valve Regurgitation. MitraClip can help prevent future complications such as heart failure. During the procedure, doctors access the mitral valve with a catheter. That catheter is guided through a vein in your leg to reach your heart. A small implanted clip is attached to your mitral valve to help it close more completely. This helps restore normal blood flow through your heart. Recovery time is minimal. To learn more about Mitral Valve Regurgitation please visit: www.firstcoastheart.com/medical-services/interventional-vascular-cardiology/transcatheter-mitral-valve-repair/

First Coast Heart & Vascular Center Announces Expansion of Clinical Team With Two New Cardiac Physicians

Drs. Abdoly and Benitez Bring Expert Cardiovascular Care to First Coast Residents

JACKSONVILLE, Oct. 25, 2021 — First Coast Heart & Vascular Center, a comprehensive cardiology practice serving Northeast Florida, today announced the addition of two cardiologists to its growing clinical team: Amir Abdoly, DO, and Edilberto Benitez, MD. Drs. Abdoly and Benitez bring advanced expertise and a commitment to patient education and improving cardiovascular disease outcomes, and will work to expand access to expert cardiac care for residents of Duval, St. Johns, Clay and Flagler counties. 

Dr. Abdoly, the newest member of the Interventional Cardiology section at First Coast Heart, is an interventional cardiologist with a focus on the diagnosis and treatment of coronary and peripheral vascular disease. Dr. Abdoly received his medical degree from the Nova Southeastern College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed his clinical training in Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Diseases at Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, where he served as Chief Fellow. He later completed his Interventional Cardiology Fellowship at the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences.

Dr. Benitez is a board-certified cardiologist and cardiac electrophysiologist with expertise in noninvasive and invasive diagnostic and therapeutic services related to the diagnosis and management of cardiac rhythm disorders, including consultative cardiac electrophysiology, pacemaker and defibrillator implantation, and radiofrequency ablation and cryoablation procedures.  Dr. Benitez received his medical degree from Florida International University. He trained in internal medicine at Cleveland Clinic in Weston, Florida. He then completed a Cardiology Fellowship at the University of Florida in Jacksonville and a sub-specialty Fellowship in Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology at the University of Florida in Gainesville.

Dr. Abdoly will be practicing at First Coast Heart’s Fleming Island office, and Dr. Benitez will see patients primarily at the practice’s University Boulevard and Fleming Island offices. Their addition to the First Coast Heart team demonstrates First Coast Heart’s ongoing commitment to improving access to high quality cardiovascular disease care services in Northeast Florida. 

“We are delighted to have Dr. Abdoly and Dr. Benitez join our team at First Coast Heart & Vascular Center, as we strive to provide contemporary, evidence-based and compassionate care to more patients across the First Coast,” said James Needham, CEO of First Coast Heart & Vascular Center. “Both doctors bring not only clinical expertise but also a passion for patient care and for building vital personal relationships to improve patients’ health and well-being.” 

To schedule an appointment with Dr. Abdoly or Dr. Benitez, please visit www.firstcoastheart.com or call (904) 342-8300.

ABOUT FIRST COAST HEART & VASCULAR CENTER

First Coast Heart & Vascular Center is a leading provider of high-quality cardiovascular disease care in Northeast Florida, offering a comprehensive array of services, including general, interventional, and vascular cardiology, electrophysiology, heart failure, diagnostic imaging and nuclear cardiology. To learn more about First Coast Heart & Vascular Center, please visit https://www.firstcoastheart.com.

July FREE CHOLESTEROL CHECK CLINIC!

We are holding another FREE Cholesterol Check Clinic this Friday, July 16, 2021 between 10 am – 3 pm. This clinic is sponsored by FCHV and our partner St John Center for Clinical Research. The appointments are only 15 minutes, and a nurse will take a small drop of blood from your finger, then you will receive your results to take with you. The service is free to all and is first come, first serve. Call our office at (904) 342-8300 to reserve your spot. The service is being performed at one of our St. Augustine offices; 100 Whetstone Place, Suite 310, St. Augustine, FL 32086. This is a great opportunity to get a quick snapshot of your current cholesterol levels and learn about enrolling in research studies for which you may be eligible. Our state of the art physicians are leading the way to develop tomorrows care. Participation in research is voluntary and does not impact in anyway care at FCHV. #FCHV #FirstCoastHeart #CholesterolClinic #Cholesterol #HeartHealth

Dr. Sanghvi speaks on AFib and the WATCHMAN

On December 3rd, Electrophysiologist from First Coast Heart and Vascular, Dr. Neil K. Sanghvi, spoke at Flagler Hospital regarding AFib and the Watchman procedure.

WATCHMAN is a one-time, minimally invasive procedure for people with atrial fibrillation not caused by a heart valve problem (also known as non-valvuar AFib) who need an alternative to blood thinners. 

Non-valvular Afib can mean a lifetime of blood thinners. It can also mean a lifetime of worry about issues like bleeds and falls. More than 100,000 people have left blood thinners behind with WATCHMAN. 

How WATCHMAN Works

To understand how WATCHMAN works, it helps to know more about the connection between atrial fibrillation and stroke.

Atrial fibrillation, or AFib, affects your heart’s ability to pump blood normally. This can cause blood to pool in an area of the heart called the left atrial appendage, or LAA. There, blood cells can stick together and form a clot. When a blood clot escapes from the LAA and travels to another part of the body, it can cut off the blood supply to the brain, causing a stroke.1,2

In people with AFib not caused by a heart valve problem, more than 90% of stroke-causing clots that come from the heart are formed in the LAA.1 That’s why closing off this part of the heart is an effective way to reduce stroke risk.

The WATCHMAN Implant fits right into your LAA. It’s designed to permanently close it off and keep those blood clots from escaping. WATCHMAN is about the size of a quarter and made from very light and compact materials commonly used in many other medical implants.

heart illustration

Science always looks for ways to make effective treatments even better. WATCHMAN is no exception. The WATCHMAN FLX design is an advancement that enables the implant to fit a greater number of patients, giving more people than ever a safe, effective alternative to blood thinners should they need one. 

In a clinical trial, 96% of people were able to stop taking blood thinners just 45 days after the WATCHMAN procedure.3

Visit: https://www.watchman.com/en-us/how-watchman-device-works.html to learn more about the WATCHMAN procedure.

To learn more about Dr. Neil K. Sanghvi, please visit: https://www.firstcoastheart.com/physicians/neil-k-sanghvi-md/

Warming Gel pad at Cath Lab

Announcing a new addition to our outpatient cath lab – A warming gel pad for our patients during their procedures. This pads helps to keep you comfortable and warm, to make your procedure as pleasant as possible! #fchv #FistCoastHeart #weloveourpatients #cathlab #cardiology #cardiologist #patientcomfort #warminggelpad #normotemp

Norm-o-temp Gel Warmer pad

Mitral Valve Replacement Procedure

Incredible work being done at First Coast Heart and Vascular! Dr Sunil Singh had an 84 year old male patient, with a failing surgical mitral valve along with increasing heart failure symptoms. He performed the minimally invasive transcatheter mitral valve replacement with an Edwards Sapien S3 valve. Patient is expected to see a great improvement in his heart failure symptoms! To learn more about Dr Singh or any of our wonderful doctors, please visit https://www.firstcoastheart.com/our-physicians/

To make an appointment at any one of our 9 locations, please call: Duval: (904) 423-0010 Clay: (904) 375-8100 St. Johns: (904) 342-8300 Flagler and Putnam: (386) 446-9966

#FCHV #FirstCoastHeart #memorialhospital #DrSingh #TopDocs #jacksonvillecardiologist #cardiologist #cardiology #HF #heartfailure #mitralvalve #mitralvalvereplacement #hearthealth #interventionalcardiology #interventionalcardiologist

Dr Sunil Singh performs Watchman Flx

Dr Singh performed one of the first Watchman Flx procedures, at Memorial Hospital yesterday! This is a new, exciting option for patients that want to get off blood thinners for AFib. To learn more about the WatchmanFlx, visit http://ow.ly/L4OX50Bi9lE To learn more about Dr Singh or any of our wonderful doctors, please visit http://ow.ly/a2sL50BhA2Z To make an appointment at any one of our 9 locations, please call: Duval: (904) 423-0010 Clay: (904) 375-8100 St. Johns: (904) 342-8300 Flagler and Putnam: (386) 446-9966 #FCHV #FirstCoastHeart #watchman #memorialhospital #DrSingh #TopDocs #jacksonvillecardiologist #cardiologist #cardiology #afib #AF #watchmanflx

FCHV to add Cardiologist in Palatka

BIG NEWS!!! FCHV is excited to announce that starting August 20th, Cardiologist Dr Christopher Edwards will be seeing patients monthly at Express Family Care of Palatka, at 6500 Crill Ave Palatka, FL 32177. First Coast Heart and Vascular is proud to bring this expert cardiologist with extensive experience in Vascular Disease, to Putnam County. Dr. Edwards will continue to see patients in Palm Coast and St. Augustine as well. Our Putnam county patients can call 386-446-9966 to make an appointment with Dr Edwards at this new Palatka location. To learn more about Dr Christopher Edwards, please visit: https://www.firstcoastheart.com/physicians/christopher-edwards-do-facc/

#FCHV #FirstCoastHeart #Cardiologist #bestcardiologist #DrEdwards #putnamcardiologist #palatkacardiologist #bestveindoctor #veindoctor #topdocs #topdoctors #expressfamilycare

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