Advanced Treatment

The GW Women's Heart Program staff will coordinate the diagnosis, treatment and after care with each patient’s physician and/or cardiologist.

Since our staff has access to all of the advanced technology available in The GW Cardiovascular Center, some aspects of a patient's care, such as diagnostic tests, cardiac catheterization and surgical procedures, are performed at The George Washington University Hospital.

This includes services such as:

Noninvasive Diagnostics

The non-invasive cardiac laboratory includes tools to diagnose a variety of cardiac disorders. Studies can provide doctors with information about heart valves, heart muscle and the coronary arteries as well as possible congenital heart abnormalities.

Procedures include:

Chest X-Ray
Cardiac MRI
Radionuclear Scans
Echocardiography
Carotid Ultrasound
Lower Extremity ABI (Ankle Brachial Indexes) and Duplex Imaging
Stess Tests (treadmill, pharmacologic)

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Cardiac Catheterization

Cardiac catheterization involves the use of radiological equipment to diagnose heart disease. Interventional tools such as balloons and stents are fed through a catheter into the coronary arteries to reduce stenosis (blockages) and improve blood flow.

Diagnostics:

Cardiac hemodynamic measurement
Endomyocardial biopsy
Coronary Angiography

Treatments:

Balloon angioplasty
Atherectomy
Coronary stenting
Intracoronary thrombolysis
Primary angioplasty for acute heart attack patients

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Electrophysiology

Electrophysiology is the study and treatment of patients with heart rhythm disturbances. Evaluations by our team of electrophysiologists include in-hospital and by-appointment diagnostic electrophysiological testing.

Diagnostics:

Tilt Table Testing
Ambulatory ECG monitoring including holder and event monitoring
Electrophysiology Testing
Microvolt T Wave Alternans Testing
Cardiac Mapping

Treatments:

Catheter ablation
Pacemaker implantation
Cardioverter-defibrillator device implantation
Anti-arrhythmic drug therapy
Cardiac resynchronization therapy
Cardioversion

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Cardiovascular Surgery

Skilled cardiac surgeons perform a full range of cardiovascular procedures — including innovative coronary artery bypass surgery, other revascularization procedures, and valve repairs and replacements — to help patients with advanced heart disease.

Procedures include:

Coronary Bypass with and without the use of artificial circulatory support ("on or off pump") using standard and minimally invasive techniques
Valve Repair and Replacement using standard and minimally invasive techniques
Antiarrhythmia surgery including atrial fibrillation
Surgery for congestive heart failure including ventricular remodeling procedures (DOR Procedure), revascularization and valve repair
Surgery for aortic aneurysms and dissections
Mechanical ventricular assistance
Minimally invasive abdominal aortic endovascular stent grafts
Endarterectomy for peripheral arteries and peripheral revascularization
Carotid endarterectomy
Minimally invasive peripheral bypass

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