Dontae's Story: Expert heart care and minimally invasive mitral valve replacement

Advanced Heart Care, Close to Home

Heart attacks aren’t the only cardiac threat to your health. Congestive heart failure, arrhythmia, heart valve disease and several other cardiac conditions can leave you short of breath, low on energy and simply not functioning at your best.

The good news is that with the right treatments, your heart health and quality of life may vastly improve, and further health complications may be prevented. The hospitals of the Detroit Medical Center (DMC) offer advanced heart and vascular care close to home. Whether you’re trying to figure out if your symptoms are caused by a heart disease or if you’ve been suffering from a chronic condition, our cardiovascular team is committed to helping you live your life to the fullest.

What are Cardiovascular Services?

The DMC offers cardiovascular services to help diagnose heart conditions, as well as provide treatment options to patients who are experiencing heart disease. We also offer heart health advice and possible lifestyle changes to people who are at a higher risk for heart conditions. Some of the cardiovascular services we offer at the DMC include:

• Heart-related tests and screenings, such as echocardiogram (EEG), electrocardiogram (ECG), exercise stress test, lexiscan stress test and more
• Personalized treatment options for different heart and vascular conditions
• Minimally invasive procedures
• Heart-related surgeries, such as bypass surgery, angioplasty, minimally invasive surgeries and more

What Heart Conditions Do We Treat at the Detroit Medical Center?

Our heart care physicians and staff at the DMC provide safe and compassionate heart and vascular care for a wide variety of conditions.  These include the following:

• Aortic Aneurysm
• Arrhythmia
• Atrial Fibrillation (AFib)
• Cardiac Arrest
• Carotid Artery Disease
• Coronary Artery Disease
• Heart Attack
• Heart Block
• Heart Failure
• Hypertension
• Pericarditis
• Peripheral Aneurysm
• Pulmonary Embolism
• Valve Disorders
• Varicose Veins

What Does a Cardiologist Do?

A cardiologist is a physician who specializes in diagnosing, preventing and treating a wide variety of conditions related to the heart, veins and arteries. A cardiologist usually has at least 10 years of education and clinical training, as well as passing a cardiology exam provided by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM).

Why Do You Need to See a Cardiologist?

Heart disease remains the top cause of death for both men and women in the United States. It’s recommended to see a cardiologist if you have any of following factors that may increase your risk for heart disease:

• Clinical depression
• Consuming an unhealthy diet
• Diabetes or insulin resistance
• Excessive drinking
• Family history of heart disease
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Obesity
• Physical inactivity
• Smoking
• Stress

Also, please see a cardiologist if you’re experiencing symptoms of a heart condition. Call 9-1-1 if your symptoms are severe, such as chest pain, shortness of breath, nausea, back pain, jaw pain, dizziness, vomiting, cold sweats, palpitations, anxiety or fainting.

Why Choose the Detroit Medical Center?

When it comes to your heart, you need someone you can trust. The cardiovascular team at the DMC has been delivering advanced cardiology services to Detroit and nearby cities for more than three decades. Here are some of the DMC’s highlights:

• Nearly 18,000 open-heart surgeries (1983-present)
• Nearly 300 TAVR’s (2013-present)
• Over 100 MitraClips (2014-present)
• Over 40 Convergent procedures (2014-present)
• 20+ Watchman procedures (2017-present)
• More than 100,000 cardiac catheterizations

Your Heart Is In the Right Place

The DMC is the home of cardiovascular physicians who genuinely care for people’s hearts. We have experienced cardiologists, cardiovascular surgeons and interventional cardiologists who manage various types of cardiac and vascular problems, subspecializing in conditions related to the heart, blood vessels and the lungs. We also have specialized nurses and staff who are equally committed to providing the heart care and support that our patients need wherever they are on their heart journey.

At the same time, we are proud and grateful that the DMC consistently receives recognition from trusted organizations such as the American Heart Association. Just recently, U.S. News & World Report recognized DMC Harper University Hospital as a High Performing Hospital for 2020-2021 in Heart Failure. Indeed, at the DMC, your heart is in the right place.

Our Structural Heart Program

We have a Structural Heart/Valve Clinic which offers various minimally invasive treatment options and advanced structural heart innovations. A patient navigator can help you save time by scheduling and coordinating your appointments with the physician who can provide the specific heart and vascular care you may need. We encourage you to ask questions as well, as our patient navigators will do their best to help you fully understand your options and give you the answers you may need.

“The call to the DMC saved my life.”

After waking up in extreme pain, Gene collapsed at home and was taken to an area hospital where he was diagnosed with a Type A aortic dissection. They could not provide the care he needed and two more hospitals also declined. The call to the DMC gave Gene a chance to survive. The DMC cardiovascular team repaired the aortic dissection and put him on the road to recovery. Gene regained his strength through physical therapy at the DMC Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan. When asked about his DMC experience, Gene shared, “The DMC helped me to enjoy my 85th Christmas this year with my family.”

Watch Gene’s Story