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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/

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

World Heart Day 2020

Today is World Heart Day! World Heart Day is part of an international campaign to spread awareness about heart disease and stroke prevention. This is the perfect day to quit smoking, get exercising and start eating healthy ! All in the name of keeping your heart in good working order!

Learn about World Heart Day

The World Heart Federation have found that heart disease and strokes are the world’s leading cause of death, killing 17.1 million people every year. More than victims of cancer, HIV and AIDS and malaria.

Overeating, lack of exercise, unhealthy diets and high blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels are all factors which can trigger heart disease and threaten our own lives, and those of loved ones. Heart Day was set up to drive home the message that heart problems can be prevented.

History of World Heart Day

The mission is to improve health globally by encouraging people to make lifestyle changes and promoting education about ways to care for your heart. This lesson is becoming relevant as reports of obesity, poor diet and physical inactivity in children and young people become more common.

World Heart Day is celebrated every year. It was created by the World Heart Federation. The first World Heart Day took place back in 2000. Since then, in 2012, global leaders committed to the reduction of mortality from non-communicable diseases by 25 percent by 2025.

Did you know that almost half of the NCD deaths happen because of cardiovascular disease? This makes it the biggest killer across the world. World Heart Day is the perfect platform for the community to come together in the battle against cardiovascular disease.

How to observe World Heart Day

World Heart Day is all about drawing people’s attention to heart diseases and illnesses, as well as the range of health issues that are associated with this. It makes sense to raise awareness and also improve your own understanding. We recommend taking some time to do a bit of research about heart conditions and risk factors.

There are organizations that take part in this date around the world. They do this through the organization of science fairs, exhibitions, walks, and marathons. Some famous buildings, and landmarks opt to go red on this date so that they can show their support.

If you are opting to celebrate this day, it is important to try and be more attentive to your own heart health. There are a number of different ways that you can do this. This includes following a healthy diet, quitting alcohol, stopping smoking, and getting involved in physical exercises. It is also important to have your cholesterol, blood pressure, and heart checked on a regular basis. 

There are different charities and organizations that do great work when it comes to raising awareness and finding cures for different heart problems. They would appreciate a donation, whether this is a donation of your time, money. Anything that you can do can make a difference to someone’s life!

To learn more, visit: https://www.world-heart-federation.org/world-heart-day/world-heart-day-2020/
#FCHV #FirstCoastHeart #HeartDay #WorldHeartDay #CVD #HeartAssociation #HeartHealth #Cardiology #Cardiologist #StAugustineCardiology #HealthyHeart #HeartDoctors #TopDocs #cardiovasculardisease

LEARN WITH THE LEADERS!

Dr. Ameeth Vedre, a General Cardiologist for First Coast Heart and Vascular, will be presenting an educational webinar on Monday, July 27th at 12:30 pm. The topic will be: Cardiovascular Prevention 2020: The Other Pandemic. There will be a chance to ask questions via chat, so bring your all your cardiology questions for Dr. Vedre!

Register Here: https://encoredocs.com/event/cardiovascular-prevention-2020-the-other-pandemic/

#FCHV #FirstCoastHeart #Cardiology #cardiologist #DrVedre #DrV #weloveourpatients #seminar #askyourdoctor #patienteducation #covid #covid_19 #bestdoctors #topdocs #topdoctors #bestcardiologist #zoom #zoommeeting

COVID 19 and Cardiovascular health

A message from our cardiologists regarding COVID19 and your heart.

The physicians at First Coast Heart wanted to take this opportunity to educate our patients about COVID 19 and Heart disease.

COVID 19 is predominantly a respiratory illness but can also cause serious cardiovascular illness. People with heart disease and stroke are extremely at high risk for getting the COVID 19 infection and have serious illness. Preliminary data reports that COVID 19 causes damage to heart muscle by causing inflammation called Myocarditis. It does increase the risk of fatal heart rhythm issues.

It is not just a FLU INFECTION. The flu vaccine does not protect against COVID 19 infection. We do not have any vaccine for the corona virus yet. We can take simple day to day precautions to prevent this infection. Please follow CDC recommendations — wash hands, clean and sanitize surfaces, avoid sharing personal household items, and most importantly practice social distancing.

Following a healthy routine is especially important now that we are spending more time at home.

– Please take your medications regularly.

– Follow healthy, low salt diet

– Do not neglect exercise. If you are unable to go to the GYM for exercise, try to do some aerobic exercises at home. Go for a walk or bike ride. Sedentary behavior also increases cardiac risk.

– Monitor for cardiac symptoms (Chest pain, shortness of breath, lightheadedness, Palpitations/ fluttering in chest, leg swelling and excessive fatigue) . 

 If you notice trouble breathing with cough, worsening shortness of breath, chest pain, mental changes like confusion, please call us or Call 911 depending on the severity of the issue.

Welcome Dr. Michael Koren

Michael Koren MDFirst Coast Heart & Vascular Center is pleased to announce that Michael J. Koren, MD and his staff from Apex Cardiovascular have joined the practice. The two cardiology practices will continue to provide services under one name, First Coast Heart & Vascular Center.

Dr. Koren and his staff have moved to First Coast Heart & Vascular Center’s Jacksonville office located at 3901 University Blvd. S., Suite 221, Jacksonville, FL 32216.

First Coast Heart & Vascular Center is a nationally recognized Center for Excellence and is honored to have Dr. Koren join the practice.  Dr. Koren is also Chief Executive Officer at Jacksonville Center for Clinical Research (JCCR), which conducts clinical trials at 8 locations in Florida. As a premier clinical research organization, JCCR has conducted more than 1,000 clinical trials over 20 years and has worldwide recognition for providing patients access to cutting-edge medical research.

“This combination of physicians and healthcare professionals will provide the best resources and strength in the field of cardiology in North East Florida,” stated Dr. Kevin Hayes, President of First Coast Heart & Vascular Center.  “We are committed to healthcare excellence with a clear strategy: one practice, one philosophy, and one goal to provide quality cardiovascular care to our patients.”

Welcome Letter

Dear Patients & Friends,

First Coast Heart & Vascular Center  welcomes you to our Jacksonville Cardiology practice.

Dr. Vincent. Caracciolo, Dr. L. Van Crisco, Dr. David Grech, Dr. Kevin Hayes, Dr. Dinesh Pubbi,  and Dr. Neil Sanghvi and their team of professionals would like to extend warm and sincere thanks for choosing our cardiology practice for your heart and vascular needs.

First Coast Heart & Vascular Center has made a sincere commitment to excellence that is second to none. We stand by core principles of: Quality, Integrity and Compassion. We will always put our patients first.

In our four main offices covering four counties (Duval, ClaySt. Johns and Flagler), First Coast Heart & Vascular Center provides a wide range of cardiac, vascular & electrophysiological diagnostic testing. We also have satellite offices in Duval County that are conveniently located to serve our patients.

Our physicians service all major hospitals in the Duval, Clay and St. Johns counties including:

  • Memorial Hospital Jacksonville,
  • Baptist Hospitals (downtown and South),
  • St. Vincent Hospital South,
  • Orange Park Hospital,
  • Flagler Hospital in St. Augustine,
  • Specialty Hospital
  • Brooks Hospital.

We are on call 24/7 for our patients. If you are admitted to any of these hospitals, we will be happy to attend to your needs as long as you make it known and request that our doctors see you. We have access to your records from any of our offices or homes and that will ensure that there are no interruptions in your care. It will also cut down on your expenses, health care system expenses and will eliminate duplication and unnecessary testing.

Our main offices are equipped with the latest in Nuclear imaging machines, Echo or Vascular equipment as well as the latest in Electronic Medical Records (EMR) which facilitate getting all your records to your primary care or referring doctors in an expeditious manner and with high efficiency. EMR assures a full circle of care with your referring doctors and hospitals. Our board certified cardiologists offer a spectrum of services including, but not limited to: consultation, diagnostic stress testing (Nuclear), Echocardiography, vascular testing, pacemaker or defibrillator implantation & interrogation, diagnostic cardiac & vascular catheterization (Angiography) and intervention (Stents, Rotablators, Laser, Debulking with Atherectomy, Carotid Artery or Renal Artery Stenting, PFO Closure, etc.).

Dr. Dinesh Pubbi is a board certified electrophysiologist with much successful experience in atrial fibrillation treatment including Atrial Fibrillation Ablation.

Dr. L. Van Crisco welcomes both cardiac and vascular patients and especially complicated vascular patients with special attention to vein disease. He is a nationally recognized interventional cardiologist with a vast experience in both cardiac and vascular intervention as well as structural heart disease.

First Coast Heart and Vascular Center contracts with every major insurance company as well as Medicare, Tricare and Medicaid. We offer a wide range of financial plans for your piece of mind. We will work with you to make your care affordable. Please browse the patient portal where you may access us 24 hours a day or send a scheduling question, billing question, or a comment or suggestion. You will be contacted within ONE business day by knowledgeable professional staff ready to help you.
Our doctors welcome new patients, former patients and patients seeking a second opinion in all of our offices. Our doctors cross cover each other when one is caught up in an emergency or on vacation to make sure your care is not interrupted.

Please help us keep you informed of your care by pointing out which of our doctors you wish to see and which office location you prefer to visit.

We at First Coast Heart & Vascular Center also want you to know that we support our Veterans and our Local Law Enforcement communities; they are here for all of us so we will be here for them.

Thank you for choosing First Coast Heart & Vascular Center, PA and for putting your heart in our hands.

Respectfully,

The doctors and staff at First Coast Heart & Vascular Center

Thank you for visiting!

Did you find what you were looking for?

Please contact us at 904-342-8300 to find out more about our practice
or to schedule an appointment with any of our cardiologists.