Our Services / Preventive Cardiology

What is preventive cardiology?

Preventive cardiology focuses on keeping your heart strong and healthy by identifying and reducing your risk factors for cardiovascular problems. There are two main types of prevention ─ primary and secondary.

Primary prevention

Primary prevention is focused on preventing heart and blood vessel disease before a patient has an event such as a heart attack or stroke, or needs cardiovascular surgery.

Secondary prevention

Secondary prevention involves patients who have had an event such as heart or vascular surgery, angioplasty or heart attack. The focus is on preventing cardiovascular disease from getting worse.

The team works with you one-on-one to create goals that fit your needs and lifestyle and improve your quality of life. They use research-based interventions and various treatment methods to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and keep the existing illness from getting worse.

Your long-term treatment plan to reduce your risks will include a customized combination of services, including nutritional counseling, exercise instruction, and advice about lifestyle behaviors.

The team can help advise you on quitting smoking, medications, and treatments as needed. Psychological counseling and referrals to physicians or other health professionals as also available

How do preventive cardiologists assess my risk?

The purpose of a risk assessment is to determine your chances of developing heart or blood vessel disease or having a heart attack or stroke.

Your provider considers many factors to determine your risk, including:

• Age, gender, and race
• Body weight
• Stress levels
• Smoking history
• Diet and exercise habits
• Cholesterol levels
• Glucose levels
• Blood pressure
• Inflammatory markers
• Family history of heart disease

Your provider also determines if you have existing heart problems, such as heart murmurs, arrhythmias, atrial fibrillation, coronary artery disease, or heart failure.

After considering all of your factors, your provider identifies your overall risk for heart disease or a future cardiac event and formulates a plan to protect your heart health.

What services will I receive during preventive cardiology appointments?

When you schedule preventive cardiology, your provider works with you one-on-one to create goals that fit your health care needs and lifestyle.

The treatment you receive depends on the results of your exam, diagnostic tests, and risk assessment. However, the foundation for preventing heart disease includes:

• Nutritional counseling
• Exercise instruction
• Weight loss management
• Stress management
• Smoking cessation
• Medications
• Diabetes management
• Chronic disease management

While you may need medications, lifestyle factors have a significant impact on your heart health. 

Maintaining a healthy weight, following a heart-healthy diet, and stopping smoking may be all you need to do to prevent heart disease. And if you already have a cardiovascular condition, these same factors take the stress off your heart and help you stay healthy and well.

Your provider lets you know how often you should schedule follow-up appointments. Keeping your preventive cardiology appointments is important for monitoring your health and helping you reach your goals.

To learn when you should schedule your first preventive cardiology appointment, call Heartwise Cardiology or book an appointment online today.