UCHealth Heart and Vascular Clinic - Loveland

Our cardiothoracic specialists deliver world-class care to patients who need highly skilled, cutting-edge surgical treatment. Expert surgeons team with well-trained cardiac professionals to care for you before, during and after surgery.

From minimally invasive to open-heart and catheter procedures, our team has performed more than 15,000 heart surgeries. Our team has performed twice as many heart surgeries as any hospital in northern Colorado, and we’re happy to bring our vast experience in surgical treatment to you.

UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies was one of the first hospitals in the nation to offer transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and remains one of the few TAVR training sites in the country, having performed more than 600 TAVR procedures to date.

When a person’s coronary artery becomes completely blocked, it is called a chronic total occlusion. The Chronic Total Occlusion (CTO) Program at Medical Center of the Rockies leads the region with its minimally invasive approach to treating CTOs.

Our cardiac electrophysiology program is the largest of its type in the region. We have two state-of-the-art electrophysiology ablation labs, a dedicated device/procedure lab, and six board-certified cardiac electrophysiologists on staff, so you can be assured that the treatment of your abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias) is in the best possible hands.

We specialize in treating:

• Atrial fibrillation (AFib)
• Atrial flutter (AFL)
• Bradycardia, heart block and sick-sinus syndrome
• Cardiac arrest due to arrhythmia
• Inherited arrhythmia syndromes
• Premature ventricular complexes (PVCs)
• Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT)
• Ventricular fibrillation
• Ventricular tachycardia (VT)
• Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome

Treatment options range from medication to atrial and ventricular ablation to pacemaker and defibrillator implantation (ICD) and the WATCHMAN™ device.

Device clinic

Our device clinic follows over 4,000 patients with pacemakers, ICDs and loop recorders. Specialty trained nurses travel to outreach locations across three states to serve remote locations. We were one of the first in the nation to adopt remote monitoring, which has become our standard of care. Patients are given a remote monitor and cell adapter at implant at no cost to them.

Our nurses follow five different device manufacturers. They are available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays to answer patient phone calls and My Health Connection questions.

Specialized care for advanced heart failure

Our specialized care team of board-certified cardiologists, nurse practitioners and nurse navigators is passionate about caring for patients who experience any type of heart failure.

So that our patients get well-rounded evaluation and advice, we routinely collaborate with other specialists, including electrophysiologists who can recommend device implants, as well as other specialty clinics such as those focused on structural heart procedures. We also consult with the Advanced Heart Failure team at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital when we have patients who might need an LVAD (left ventricular assist device) or a heart transplant.

Our patients have access to the treatments and information they need, from IV diuretics at the infusion clinic, to education about a heart-healthy lifestyle that includes a low-sodium diet and symptom management. We follow best practices for all types of heart failure, including getting patients on guideline-directed medical therapy and medical management of their heart failure.

Candidates for the Heart Failure Clinic

At both the Harmony Campus and Medical Center of the Rockies, the Heart Failure Clinic team sees patients who are having difficulty retaining fluids because of their heart failure, patients who were recently hospitalized for heart failure, and patients who have been newly diagnosed with heart failure.

Heart failure patients also include those who have had two or more ER visits because of heart issues within a year, people who can’t tolerate ACE inhibitors (medications that slow a particular enzyme to reduce blood pressure), people who experience difficulty breathing or fatigue while performing simple tasks like dressing or while walking a block on level ground, and those who experience progressive worsening of kidney function.

Additional heart failure indicators include:

• Intolerance to beta blockers (medications used to manage abnormal heart rhythms and to prevent second or third heart attacks)
• Additional abnormal test results regarding diuretics or serum sodium

UCHealth Heart and Vascular Center – Medical Center of the Rockies is one of the few hospitals in the western United States to offer intracoronary brachytherapy to treat patients with coronary artery disease and recurrent narrowing within previously placed stents. This procedure reduces the likelihood that patients with this condition will need recurrent procedures over time.

What is the procedure?

Intracoronary brachytherapy is a procedure to treat recurrent scar tissue formation inside of previously placed coronary stents. It is an outpatient procedure, performed using mild sedation, and is catheter-based, similar to coronary angioplasty and stenting. It has been shown to reduce the chance of scar tissue formation inside of stents when this has occurred previously.

What is the approximate recovery time?

Recovery is similar to that of other noninvasive procedures on the heart, such as receiving a coronary stent. Somepatients can go home the same day, and some stay overnight for observation.

Which patients would benefit from this procedure?

Recurrent in-stent restenosis, or narrowing, is a significant problem in a select population of patients with drug-eluting stents. This can be challenging to treat, often requiring multiple procedures or high doses of many medications.

Brachytherapy gives patients a treatment that may reduce return visits to the catheterization laboratory, reduce procedures and improve their quality of life.

Preventing heart disease

We help patients manage their lipids, which are fat-like substances in the bloodstream, to help prevent issues with their hearts and vascular systems.

Although there are several types of lipids, the most common is cholesterol. If a patient has high cholesterol, we will work with them to change their diet and make exercise and lifestyle modifications.

In addition, we might prescribe medications to help decrease LDL, also known as “bad” cholesterol, and triglycerides, a type of fat found in the blood, and increase HDL, also known as “good” cholesterol. The medications might be single agents or prescribed in a combination.

Improving patient outcomes with VATS

Removing the lobe where a lung tumor is located can now be performed through a single two-inch incision. This technique is referred to as uniportal thoracoscopic lobectomy or uniportal VATS. Through this small incision a full anatomic resection and lymph node dissection may be performed with much less morbidity and mortality than the more traditional rib-spreading techniques.

When this technique is used, our patients recover from surgery much faster, typically requiring only 2-3 days in the hospital. Most patients resume normal physical activities within a week after surgery.

VATS has been shown in multiple studies to result in fewer pulmonary complications and less overall morbidity and mortality. It has become the standard of care for lung cancer surgery throughout this country and around the world.

Our sports cardiology clinic helps athletes stay active and participating in sports while ensuring their continued safety.

Our clinic sports cardiologists conduct:

Screening. Screening for asymptomatic competitive athletes, including young competitive athletes (ages 18 – 35) for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and athletes ages 36-plus for coronary artery disease.

Evaluation. Evaluation of athletes with symptoms of possible cardiovascular disease, such as shortness of breath, chest pain, palpitations, dizziness or fainting during exercise. Evaluations are tailored to the athlete’s specific situation and may include:

• A thorough review of the patient’s medical history and symptoms
• Review of athletic history and goals
• Complete cardiovascular physical exam
• Consultation for athletes with known cardiovascular disease on exercise, including levels of exertion during exercise and athletic competition
• Electrocardiogram
• Exercise treadmill testing, cardiovascular imaging (echocardiography, cardiovascular CT)
• Lab testing
• Recommendation regarding athletic competition, levels of exertion during exercise, etc.

We accept patients 18 years and older. Sports cardiology patients may play sports at any level, from recreational to high-level athletic competition.

When to consider evaluation in the sports cardiology clinic:

• An unexplained decline in athletic performance
• Before beginning an exercise program (for previously sedentary individuals)
• Family history of sudden death at a young age (< 45 yrs old)
• Symptoms of palpitations, dizziness or passing out, especially during or immediately after exertion
• Symptoms of shortness of breath and/or chest discomfort during exertion
• To assess long-term cardiovascular risk factors
• To obtain clearance to exercise in patients with known heart disease or prior cardiovascular surgery

At the forefront of heart care treatments

At the UCHealth Structural Heart & Valve Clinic at Medical Center of the Rockies, we offer a multidisciplinary and multispecialty approach to caring for your heart.

Our team—including cardiologists, cardiovascular surgeons and valve disease experts—stays at the forefront of heart-care technologies, to bring you the latest advancements.

This multidisciplinary team is skilled in numerous techniques and therapies, used in collaboration with other care platforms, to ensure the most well-rounded solution for each patient.