Cardiology

Heart disease can affect anyone, but with proper diagnosis, treatment and follow-up, NuHealth’s cardiologists can help prevent coronary plaque build-up and reduce the risk of heart attack. Our board-certified cardiologists help medically manage a wide variety of acute and chronic heart conditions.

We partner closely with your doctors and your loved ones to help you manage your heart disease and embrace changes in lifestyle to lessen the risk of heart failure. When medical and non-invasive cardiology therapies aren’t enough, our colleagues are standing by to employ advanced interventional cardiology procedures, including catheterization, implantation of stents, pacemakers and other devices, or even cardiac surgery if necessary. But make no mistake: our top priority is preventing your heart condition from progressing beyond the need for medical management.

The NuHealth cardiology team is honored by your trust, and we will do all we can to see you happy, healthy – and home.

To make an appointment, please call (516) 296-4949

Clinical Staff
Chair - Sanjay Doddamani, MD, FACC, FASE
Daniel Chikvashvili, MD
Rodlie S. Jean, RPA-C
Salma Gene, RPA-C
Kasinee Patumanon-Forte, RPA-C

Cardiac Catheterization

Catheterization makes it possible for NuHealth’s cardiac specialists to identify problems with heart function and even effect repairs of damaged tissue. By inserting a long, thin hollow tube through the chambers of your heart and into the large blood vessels of the lungs and injecting dye (an angiogram), we can obtain a clearer picture of the blood vessels and heart chambers and how effectively they are pumping blood.

Our partnership with the North Shore-LIJ Health System also ensures access to the most advanced cardiac interventional services available. While catheterizations and angiograms are performed at the Nassau University Medical Center, we can also easily schedule more advanced interventions at North Shore University Hospital if the need arises.

For more information or to make an appointment with an interventional cardiologist, please call (516) 296-4949.

Clinical Staff
Director - Alex Lee, MD, FACC, FAHA

Cardiac Surgery

Thanks to our integrated relationship with the North Shore-LIJ Health System, NuHealth patients in need of cardiac procedures are easily scheduled or transferred for surgery at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset – the only LI hospital listed in US News & World Report’s Top 50 Hospitals for cardiac services and heart surgery. Procedures include:

• Alcohol-Septal Ablation,
• Biventricular Defibrillator Device (Biv) Implantation
• Bypass Surgery
• Coronary Balloon Angioplasty
• Drug-Coated Stent Implantation
• Minimally Invasive Surgery
• Open Heart Surgery
• Percutaneous Valvuloplasty
• Robotic Valvular Surgery
• Rotablation
• Septal Closure Devices

For more information about cardiac surgery through NuHealth Cardiac Care, call (516) 296-4949.

Heart Failure Center

Although often used interchangeably by the public, heart failure is not the same as a heart attack or cardiac arrest. Simply put, it means that the heart is unable to keep blood flowing to meet the patient’s needs. Heart failure is one of the nation’s most common – and costly – medical problems, suffered by approximately 2 percent of all Americans, and as high as 10 percent of those over age 65.

At NuHealth’s Heart Failure Center, a team of cardiac specialists from a variety of disciplines work together to manage the impact of myocardial infarction (heart attack) and other forms of ischemic heart disease, hypertension, valvular heart disease and cardiomyopathy, and control common congestive heart failure symptoms such as shortness of breath, exercise intolerance, fluid retention, and swelling.

Our experienced and caring staff of doctors, nurses and other health care professionals track the patient’s cardiac activity and provide direct care and patient education to improve heart function. And because congestive heart failure requires careful monitoring of medications and most often some significant lifestyle adjustments, we work hand in hand with the patient’s loved ones and primary physician to keep the symptoms at bay and the patient out of the hospital.

To learn more about NuHealth’s Heart Failure Center, or to arrange an appointment with a cardiac specialist, please call (516) 296-4949.

Clinical Staff
Director - Deborah Ahern, ANP-BC

Non-Invasive Cardiology

NuHealth’s specialists in non-invasive cardiology are often the first to see new patients with apparent heart problems. Using a variety of sophisticated diagnostic imaging and laboratory tests and procedures at Nassau University Medical Center, we are able to identify abnormalities in the structure and function of the heart and blood vessels. Your physician may request, or we may recommend, whichever of these and other procedures will best provide the information needed to develop an appropriate treatment plan:

• Echocardiography – a sonogram that captures 2D and 3D images of your heart in motion. It can also help diagnose heart valve abnormalities
• Contrast Echo – similar to an echocardiogram, Contrast Echo involves the injection of fine microbubbles to enhance the image and allow a clearer picture of the heart walls.
• Stress Echo – an echocardiogram of the left ventricle of your heart during exercise can expose blood supply problems that may not reveal themselves when your heart is at rest.
• Nuclear Stress Testing – a special scanner provides a uniquely detailed image of your heart after the injection of a radioactive isotope. In some patients, medications can be used instead of a treadmill to detect any possible blockages.
• Micro-T Wave Alternans Testing – In this test, you walk on a treadmill while your heartbeats are assessed to determine your risk of developing dangerous rhythm disturbances.
• 64-Slice CT Scan – More slices means extremely high resolution images of the heart can be taken in as few as five heartbeats, which makes 64-slice CT scanning an extremely effective diagnostic tool you won’t find in many hospitals or imaging centers.

No matter what our cardiac imaging specialists discover, NuHealth’s Cardiac Care teams at Nassau University Medical Center and North Shore University Hospital are ready to provide treatment and coordinate your care with your primary physician.

For an appointment, please call (516) 296-4949.

Clinical Staff
Ricardo Benenstein, MD Director of Echocardiography

Rhythm Disturbances and Device Therapy

An irregular heartbeat can often be managed by the implantation of a pacemaker. This small device is easily inserted just under the skin, with wire leads that are guided through nearby blood vessels into the heart using a fluoroscope. The minimally-invasive procedure is simple, safe and highly effective. It is performed using local anesthesia, and usually only requires a single overnight stay in the hospital to monitor the patient and adjust the pacemaker. Most patients can resume normal activity in a few days.

For those patients at serious risk of life-threatening arrhythmia or cardiac arrest, NuHealth’s cardiac specialists may recommend an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). This lifesaving device is inserted in much the same way as a pacemaker, but instead of generating continuous small impulses to adjust heart rhythm, the ICD sends an electric shock directly to the heart when it detects a dangerous change.

After an initial period of adjustment, these devices can function for 5-15 years before replacement. However, your NuHealth electro-cardiologist will want to check your pacemaker function regularly, but often less frequently as time goes on. In some cases your device can be monitored remotely through a telephone call or via the Internet.

For more information, or to make an appointment, please call (516) 296-4949.

Clinical Staff
Eric Altman, MD

Women’s Heart Health

Heart disease is the leading cause of death among women, and NuHealth is committed to helping them beat the odds. Our multidisciplinary team of cardiologists, nurses, nutritionists, exercise specialists and other health-care professionals works with women with or at risk of developing cardiovascular disease, particularly those with contributing high risk factors such as diabetes, obesity, hypertension, or being a smoker or past menopause.

Conducted out of NuHealth’s Zaki Hossain Center for Hypertension, Diabetes, and Vascular Disease, the Women’s Heart Health program focuses on monitoring and managing contributing factors like high blood pressure and diabetes, and helping you learn how to eat correctly and take steps leading to a healthier lifestyle.

For more information, or to make an appointment with a women’s heart health consultant, please call (516) 296-4949.

Clinical Staff
Rosalind Watman, D.O.