Heart and Vascular Center

The Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Heart and Vascular Center is transforming the way cardiovascular care is delivered. We combine cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery and vascular surgery to provide a multidisciplinary team approach to patient- and family-centered care.

As an academic medical center, we partner with Wake Forest School of Medicine to find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat medical conditions. This sets us apart from other hospitals in North Carolina because we can offer a higher level of expertise and treat even the most complex forms of heart and vascular disease.

Multidisciplinary Heart and Vascular Team

The doctors at the Heart and Vascular Center are nationally renowned leaders, researchers and educators in both heart care and vascular care.

Using an integrated team approach and personalized treatment programs, our doctors provide comprehensive prevention, diagnosis, treatment and management of the full spectrum of heart and vascular conditions. Using a team approach means that groups of specialists come together to discuss and plan for every step of your care. We work closely with you, your family and other doctors you may be seeing during your period of care.

"Combining the skills of our strong team of cardiologists and vascular and cardiothoracic surgeons into a one-stop prevention and treatment enterprise makes it possible for us to offer patients more systematic and effective treatment options," said David Zhao, MD, Director of the Heart and Vascular Center.

The Difference Between Heart Care and Vascular Care

Heart care involves medical care or surgical treatment for problems that affect your heart and its arteries and blood vessels. Also called cardiac care, it is provided by a cardiologist, pediatric cardiologist, interventional cardiologist, electrophysiologist or a heart (cardiac) surgeon or any combination of them depending on your diagnosis.

Vascular care involves medical management and surgical treatment of problems affecting circulation outside the heart and brain, especially the legs, arms, neck and kidneys. Think of your vascular system as a road map and your heart as the city center. A network of arteries, veins and capillaries carries blood to and from all areas of your body. When there are roadblocks, vascular surgeons clear the way by removing blockages in arteries and veins to restore normal blood flow through the network.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Heart and Vascular Conditions

We offer the latest in technology, devices and medication combined with personalized care, to offer life-changing vascular and heart disease treatments. In fact, our team has been recognized by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and the National Cardiovascular Data Registry® for achieving high standards of care.

No matter what type of heart or vascular care you need, our team provides everything from prevention to treatment:

• Prevention: In addition to standard screening tests, we use innovative new practices, such as coronary calcium scans, to detect disease in its earliest stages. Learn more about our screenings.
• Diagnosis: Using a variety of techniques and specialized equipment, we conduct quick and accurate testing for a proper diagnosis of your condition.
• Treatment: Combining the skills of our heart and vascular surgeons, we offer advanced treatments such as minimally invasive repair of heart valve disease. We also offer expert care for common conditions, like high blood pressure.
• Rehabilitation: We were the first hospital in the state to offer a pulmonary and cardiac rehabilitation program. Our personalized rehabilitation plans help you recover from certain procedures and avoid future complications.

National Leader in Heart and Vascular Care

The Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Heart and Vascular Center is a national leader in heart and vascular care, surgery and research. We house western North Carolina’s only advanced cardiac care and transplant program. We were the first Chest Pain Center in the region to be accredited by the Society of Chest Pain Centers, and we have disease-specific certification by The Joint Commission in acute myocardial infarction (heart attack) and congestive heart failure. We have received the highest possible recognition for quality cardiac surgery from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Other accolades include:

• Recognized for heart attack care as a Gold-level provider, the highest level available, by the American College of Cardiology
• Exceed national standard for treating emergency chest pain with balloon angioplasty (The American College of Cardiology recommended time is 90 minutes; our time is significantly lower)
• Recognized for maintaining the highest levels of care for high-risk cardiac patients over a two-year period by the National Cardiovascular Data Registry®
• Accreditation for mobile echocardiography from the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Echocardiography Laboratories (ICAEL)
• Beacon award received for Critical Care Nursing Excellence in the CTICU
• Excellence in Life Support Award received from the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization