Overview
Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the narrowing or blockage of the coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart. This limits the amount of blood that the heart muscle receives (ischemia) and causes chest pain (angina) at rest or during exertion. This, in turn, causes several important heart problems such as:
- Myocardial infarction (heart attack)
- Heart failure (poor heart pump function)
- Cardiac arrhythmias (life threatening abnormal heart beat)
- Limited exercise tolerance due to angina (chest pain) or dyspnea (shortness of breath)
Specialists in the Coronary Artery Disease Center help patients who:
- Have significant disease and/or symptoms and need treatment (such as medications, angioplasty, stents or coronary artery bypass surgery).
- Have been diagnosed with CAD and are looking for ways to control the condition and prevent future blockage.
- Want an expert opinion about the best way to treat their CAD and trying to choose between coronary artery bypass surgery or a catheter–based procedure.
- Have significant blockage or ischemic heart disease and have been told they are not eligible for further traditional treatment options.
The multidisciplinary team of specialists in Cleveland Clinic's Coronary Artery Disease Center are dedicated to diagnosing and treating patients with CAD. This include patients who have just found out they have the disease to those with severe CAD. The experience and expertise of the team members allows treatment for patients who may not think they have any available treatment options left. We also have specialized Centers to meet the needs of our patients.
- Center for Complex Coronary Interventions and Redo Heart Surgery
- State of the Art: Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery Center
The Center for Coronary Artery Disease treats patients from all over the world and offers patients the best treatment outcomes.
Directors:
Treatments
Our Treatment Approach
If you have coronary artery disease (CAD), there are 4 parts to your care:
- Diagnostic testing to evaluate the extent of your disease. Cardiologists have the expertise to match the right diagnostic test to the patient. If you have advanced disease, you may need specialized scans to see if your heart muscle can be helped by procedures designed to improve blood flow to the heart muscle.
- Medications to increase blood flow to the heart and keep disease from getting worse. Cardiologists will create a plan for you that includes the best types and amounts of medicine to improve your symptoms, help your heart pump the best it can and protect it from further damage.
- Procedures to improve blood flow to the heart muscle or improve the heart’s ability to pump blood. You will be evaluated by a team of highly skilled cardiac interventionalists and heart surgeons. They will determine if you need a procedure to improve blood flow to your heart. If so, they will select the best procedure for you. Procedures are aimed to improve your symptoms, quality of life and longevity.
- Lifestyle changes to decrease your risk for progression. An important part of your plan of care is making changes in your lifestyle, such as exercise, quitting smoking and eating a heart-healthy diet. Cleveland Clinic’s Preventive Cardiology team is often involved in helping you create a plan to help you have the best outcomes possible.
Why choose Cleveland Clinic for your care?
Our outcomes speak for themselves. Please review our facts and figures and if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.
We have specialized coronary artery disease centers to help meet your needs:
Our Team
The doctors and nurses in the Coronary Artery Disease Center specialize in treating patients with advanced coronary disease. Specialists from various areas work together to create an individualized plan of care for every patient.
The areas of expertise include Invasive & Interventional Cardiology, Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Cardiac Electrophysiology & Pacing, Cardiovascular Imaging, Heart Failure, Preventive Cardiology & Rehabilitation, along with specialists from Pain Management and Pharmacy.
Leadership
- Stephen Ellis, MD – Interventional Director
- Faisal Bakaeen, MD - Surgical Director
- Ajay Bhargava, MD – Medical Director
Our Medical Team
Cardiovascular Medicine, Section of Clinical Cardiology
This group of specialized physicians will evaluate you, develop your plan of care and see you for long-term follow-up visits to keep your heart healthy.
- Ajay Bhargava, MD
- Chete Eze-Nliam, MD, MPH
- Maan Fares, MD
- Michael Faulx, MD
- Joanna Ghobrial, MD
- Donald Hammer, MD
- Julie Huang, MD
- Umesh N. Khot, MD
- John Mansour, MD
- Venugopal Menon, MD
- Rohit Moudgil, MD
- Nicholas Ruthmann, MD
- Tamanna Singh, MD
- Heba Wassif, MD, MPH
Cardiovascular Medicine, Section of Interventional Cardiology
Interventional Cardiologists perform diagnostic catheterization procedures and complicated interventional procedures. Interventionalists who are part of the Center for Advanced Ischemic Heart Disease have experience in treating patients with complex blockages such as bifurcation and calcified blockages, totally blocked coronary arteries and in-stent restenosis (re-blockage).
- Christopher Bajzer, MD
- Leslie Cho, MD
- Stephen Ellis, MD
- Samir Kapadia, MD
- Amar Krishnaswamy, MD
- Michael Lincoff, MD
- Ravi Nair, MD
- Rishi Puri, MD, PhD
- Grant Reed, MD
- Conrad Simpfendorfer. MD, FACC
- Jacqueline Tamis-Holland, MD
- Laura Young, MD
- Khaled Ziada, MD
Cleveland Clinic cardiothoracic surgeons have extensive experience treating patients with severe CAD, CAD plus other health problems, heart muscle damage, and prior bypass or other types of heart surgery.
- Faisal Bakaeen, MD
- Donna Kimmaliardjuk, MD
- Kenneth McCurry, MD
- Nicholas Smedira, MD
- Edward Soltesz, MD
- Michael Zhen-Yu Tong, MD
- Shinya Unai, MD
- Patrick Vargo, MD
Other Cardiovascular Specialties
Some patients with CAD develop ischemic heart disease caused by decreased blood supply to the heart muscle. Imaging specialists use advanced imaging techniques to determine the health of the heart muscle. Experts from the Section of Heart Failure and Section of Electrophysiology and Pacing provide care to patients with poor heart function and irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias). Our Section of Preventive Cardiology specialists work with patients who have require intensive lipid lowering, statin intolerance, non-traditional risk factor modification, diet guidance or exercise prescription.
A multidisciplinary team of experts including nurses, nutritionists, exercise physiologists, pharmacists, and pain management specialists support the interventional and medical treatment plan provided to patients with coronary artery disease.
Appointments
Every patient is different, and your needs help guide your care. For example, you may want to have regular follow-up over a long period of time, or maybe you have just been diagnosed with CAD and need to take the first steps for care and treatment. Perhaps you are exploring treatment options and need an intervention or surgery consultation. No matter what your needs are, we are here for you every step of the way. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to call.
By Phone – Cardiovascular Medicine Appointments
Department of Cardiovascular Medicine
216.444.6697 or toll-free 800.223.2273, ext. 46697
Let the appointment office know if you are having acute symptoms.
When you make your appointment, ask the secretary for your doctor’s name and desk number.
Online
Use our secure online form to submit an appointment request 24/7. We will receive it and follow-up with you as soon as possible.
Physician Referrals
Call the Referring Physician Hotline from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. EST, every day:
Toll-free: 855.REFER.123 (855.733.3712)
Directions
Cleveland Clinic is located at:
9500 Euclid Ave.
Cleveland, OH 44195
Your appointment will be scheduled in the Miller Family Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute (J Building).
You may find the following links helpful:
If you have trouble finding your doctor’s desk at Cleveland Clinic, please ask any of our Red Coats for directions. They are happy to help.
What to expect for your Cardiovascular Medicine Team Appointment
If your scheduled appointment is at least one week away, you will be asked to send in a copy of your medical records, including a medical history, test results and films (echocardiogram, ultrasound, cardiac catheterization, chest X-ray). All information should be sent in the same package (clearly marked with your name and address) via Airborne Express, Federal Express, or certified U.S. mail (make sure you have a tracking number) to the doctor you will be seeing at Cleveland Clinic. Your appointment may be with Clinical Cardiology (Desk J2 - 4) or Interventional Cardiology (Desk J2-3) depending on your condition and needs.
The address to mail your records is:
Physician Name
Cleveland Clinic Desk #
9500 Euclid Ave.
Cleveland, OH 44195
If your scheduled appointment is less than one week away, please bring your records to your appointment.
Traveling to Cleveland Clinic
To help make your visit to Cleveland Clinic as easy as possible, please visit:
What to expect during your appointment
Your appointment will begin by meeting with a nurse or physician assistant (PA) who will collect information about your medical history, symptoms and test results, and enter your information into our electronic medical record. This will help the doctor during your exam.
You may need blood and imaging tests. The specialists in the Coronary Artery Disease Center will use these tests to help diagnosis your condition or create an individualized treatment plan for you. A cardiologist from the Coronary Artery Disease Center will review your records, take a medical history, perform a physical exam, and, if needed, consult with other physicians in the Coronary Artery Disease Center to discuss your condition. If you need to meet with one of the multidisciplinary specialists, they will be consulted and we hope to arrange a meeting with them within a day to limit travel to and from Cleveland Clinic. The Coronary Artery Disease Center cardiologist will talk to you about your diagnosis and plan of care within 1 to 2 days, depending on when your test results are completed.
How long will you need to stay at Cleveland Clinic?
You should plan on spending 1 to 2 days in the Cleveland area. Your stay may be longer if a treatment is scheduled at the time of your visit.
Follow-up
Your doctor will talk to you about your plan for follow-up care.
Cardiovascular Surgery Team Appointments
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery
Toll-free 877.8HEART1 (877-843-2781)
Let the appointment office know if you are having acute symptoms.
Online
Use our secure online form to submit an appointment request 24/7. We will receive it and follow-up with you as soon as possible.
Physician Referrals
Call the Referring Physician Hotline 24/7:
Toll-free: 855.REFER.123 (855.733.3712)
If you would like information about your surgical options for your coronary artery disease, you can send your medical records in for a review. The process involves several steps:
- Call toll-free 877.843.2781 (877-8Heart1) 6 a.m. – 9 p.m. EST, Monday - Friday. They will assist you in making arrangements for a surgical review!
- We will collect your information to begin a surgical review.
- Print this Cardiovascular Surgery checklist to help you gather information we will need from you.
- After the surgeon reviews your information, his or her office will discuss your surgical options.
What to expect during your appointment
You will need to arrive a few days before your surgery to have a full evaluation and meet your surgical team. You and your family will attend a program to prepare you for what to expect before, during and after your surgery. See Heart Surgery at Cleveland Clinic for more information about having surgery at Cleveland Clinic.
How long will you need to stay at Cleveland Clinic?
Your hospital stay depends on many factors, such as your condition, the type of surgery you need and your medical history. Generally, patients who live outside of the Cleveland area come to Cleveland a day or two prior to surgery, stay in the hospital 5 to 7 days, and stay in Cleveland at least one night after leaving the hospital before traveling home. We ask that you return to Cleveland Clinic for a post-op visit during the first week after you leave the hospital, so you may want to plan on staying in the area until after that visit.
Follow-up
Your doctor will talk to you about your plan for follow-up care.
Travel to the Cleveland Clinic
When you make your appointment, we would like to make traveling to Cleveland Clinic as easy as possible.
More Information
If you need more information, click here to contact us, chat online with a nurse or call the Miller Family Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute Resource & Information Nurse at 216.445.9288 or toll-free at 866.289.6911. We would be happy to help you.
