Your Heart Care Journey Starts Here

At the Heart & Lung Institute, we specialize in comprehensive heart care, offering more tests and treatments than any other hospital in the region. Our experienced cardiologists, heart surgeons and specialized care teams collaborate closely to provide you with the highest standard of care. We prioritize your involvement in every step of your treatment, ensuring that you stay informed, empowered and connected with your care team throughout your journey to better heart health.

Our Areas of Expertise

Conditions We Treat

We understand that heart conditions can be overwhelming, but getting the right care can make all the difference. Our team of specialists is here to provide you with the most effective treatments for a wide range of cardiopulmonary issues.


We offer advanced diagnostics, personalized treatment plans and ongoing support to help you manage your heart health and improve your quality of life.

An arrhythmia is when the heart beats irregularly: either too fast, too slow or inconsistently. It can feel like fluttering, pounding or skipping beats, and can sometimes cause dizziness or shortness of breath. While some arrhythmias are harmless, others may require treatment to prevent complications.

Individual Conditions:
 

  • Arrhythmia
  • Brugada Syndrome
  • Bundle Branch Block
  • Long Q-T Syndrome
  • Sick Sinus Syndrome

 

Aorta disease affects the aorta, the largest artery in the body, which carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body. When the aorta is damaged or weakened, it can cause serious issues like aneurysms (bulging) or tears in the artery wall. These conditions can be life-threatening and may need monitoring or surgical repair.

Individual Conditions:
 

  • Aortic Aneurysms
  • Aortic Dissections

Congenital Heart Disease refers to heart defects present at birth that affect how the heart works. These defects can range from mild, requiring little or no treatment, to severe, needing surgery or lifelong care. Advances in medicine allow many people with congenital heart disease to live full and healthy lives.

Individual Conditions:
 
  • Atrial Septal Defect
  • Patent Ductus Arteriosus
  • Patent Foramen Ovale
  • Ventricular Septal Defect

Coronary Artery Disease happens when the blood vessels that supply the heart become narrowed or blocked due to plaque buildup. This can cause chest pain (angina), shortness of breath, or lead to a heart attack. Treatment may involve lifestyle changes, medications or procedures to restore proper blood flow to the heart.

Individual Conditions:
 

  • Arterial Blockage
  • High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)
  • Cardiac Arrest/Heart Attack
  • Angina/Chest Pains
  • Coronary Artery Spasm
  • Silent Ischemia

Other reasons for chest pains: Pericarditis

Heart Failure means the heart isn’t pumping blood as well as it should, which can cause fatigue, swelling and difficulty breathing. It doesn’t mean the heart has stopped working, but that it needs help to meet the body’s demands. With proper treatment, many people with heart failure can manage their symptoms and live active lives.

Individual Conditions:
 
  • Cardiomyopathy
  • Diastolic Dysfunction
  • Dilated Cardiomyopathy
  • Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
  • Restrictive Cardiomyopathy

Heart Valve Disease occurs when one or more of the valves in your heart doesn’t open or close properly, which affects blood flow. Symptoms can include fatigue, shortness of breath, and swelling in the ankles or feet. Depending on the severity, heart valve disease can be managed with medications or may require valve repair or replacement surgery.

Individual Conditions:
  • Aortic Stenosis
  • Diseases of the Aortic Valve
  • Diseases of the Mitral Valve
  • Diseases of the Pulmonary Valve
  • Diseases of the Tricuspid Valve
  • Endocarditis

Specialized Procedures

operating room

Patients can take comfort in the fact that our renowned surgeons are conducting the most advanced cardiac procedures in the Valley.

Uses a special device to stabilize the section of the heart being operated on without stopping the heart. This reduces the risk of complications.

May be used for patients with significant blockages and narrowing of their heart arteries (coronary artery disease). The procedure reroutes blood around clogged arteries to improve blood and oxygen flow to the heart.

Is a minimally invasive alternative when cardiac bypass surgery isn’t an option. The bypass graft involves a smaller incision than surgery and avoids cutting into bone. Patients tend to experience shorter recovery periods, returning to their normal routine sooner than they would with surgery. Criteria for receiving the graft are different than surgery and not all patients are candidates.

Is commonly offered as an alternative to qualified, but waiting, candidates for heart transplant. The LVAD is a small pump implanted into the upper part of the abdomen that helps circulate blood throughout the body. The procedure presents a high survival rate and improved quality of life for patients in need of a heart transplant or suffering from heart failure.

Disrupts electrical signals in the heart that cause an erratic heartbeat (arrhythmia). Surgeons make several incisions in the atria, creating scar tissue to stop the unwanted electrical impulses that cause atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter.

Offer alternatives for patients with severe symptoms of heart failure that can’t be controlled by medication. A biventricular pacemaker is a relatively new option for patients. This particular device uses electrical pulses sent by wires into the left and right ventricles to create a more normal heartbeat.

Is a minimally invasive treatment for angina aimed at improving blood flow to areas of the heart that could not be treated by angioplasty or surgery. A laser creates small channels into the heart muscle and into the heart’s lower left chamber. This procedure may be combined with coronary artery bypass surgery in some patients.

Is necessary when one or more heart valves aren’t working properly, often as a result of regurgitation or stenosis (a narrowing of the valve).

Annuloplasty repairs the ring-like part of the valve by attaching a ring of plastic, cloth or tissue around it, restoring normal blood flow through the valve.

Is primarily performed to replace diseased aortic or mitral heart valves. The procedure replaces a defective valve with a mechanical or biological valve.


Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) is a minimally invasive procedure used to treat aortic stenosis when a patient is not eligible for open-heart surgery. A new valve made from wire-mesh and tissue is delivered via catheter to replace the malfunctioning aortic valve.


Community Regional Medical Center is the only hospital in the region to offer this life-saving procedure. To learn how you or a loved one can seek relief from aortic stenosis, call (559) 459-7492 or email heart@communitymedical.org.

Read the brochure.

Awards & Accreditations

Patient Resources

doctors in operating room

Congestive Heart Failure Clinic

Undergoing heart surgery is difficult for many reasons. To reduce unnecessary strain, we offer specialized therapies such as relaxation skills and stress management training and health-risk reduction counseling. We also provide family caregiver support to relieve some of the burden leading up to your loved one’s surgery.
 

The heart failure clinic at Community Regional Medical Center helps to reduce the risk and impact of heart failure for patients through better education. We teach patients how to manage symptoms and improve their overall quality of life. With our guidance, patients can reduce their emergency room visits, prevent hospitalizations and live fuller, more productive lives.

Heart and Vascular Disease Screening Program

Vascular HealthScreen is a free heart and vascular disease education and screening program. If caught early, vascular disease can be treated to prevent serious problems such as heart attack or stroke. 


Every year, more than 795,000 Americans will have a stroke caused by heart or vascular disease. Up to 80% of strokes are preventable. 


To schedule your free vascular screening:

 Call (559) 433-8170

This is a free screening program if you’re at least 60 years old, or if you’re at least 50 years old and have certain risk factors for vascular disease. A referral is not required, but we’ll send your screening results to your primary care physician.

Through Vascular HealthScreen, individuals are screened for common diseases such as:
 

  • Carotid artery disease — a primary cause of preventable strokes
 
  • Abdominal aortic aneurysms — ruptured aneurysms (bulging in the wall of a weakened artery) cause death in up to 90% of cases
 
  • Renal artery stenosis — when untreated, frequently leads to the need for hemodialysis, a procedure to remove waste from the blood when kidneys can no longer do it
 
  • Extremity artery disease — affects up to 12 million Americans, especially those over age 50

Because plaque builds up over time, the risk of vascular disease increases with age. You’re eligible* for a free screening if you have an established primary care physician and are:
 

  • Greater than 60 years old
 
  • Greater than 50 years old with one or more of the following risk factors: high cholesterol, high blood pressure, a smoker, family history of vascular disease (including stroke, heart attack, high blood pressure, kidney failure, sudden cardiac death or abdominal aortic aneurysms)
 
  • Greater than 40 years old with diabetes
 


*In an effort to make the best use of this free screening program, we’re unable to provide screenings to individuals who do not meet the eligibility requirements noted above.

Please note: Individuals who receive a normal result from their Vascular HealthScreen are eligible to return for a follow-up screening in 5 years.

All screenings are offered free.

The Vascular HealthScreen program screens for the four common vascular diseases — carotid artery disease, abdominal aortic aneurysms, renal artery stenosis and extremity artery disease.

The process includes a blood pressure check and a non-invasive ultrasound examination of the carotid arteries, abdominal aorta and evaluation of the circulation in the lower extremities. We’ll also check your Body Mass Index (BMI) and will need to measure both your height and weight during the screening.

The painless, non-invasive screening will take between 15-20 minutes to complete.

Your results are available to you through your MyHealthMate account and via your primary care physician. Please note that Vascular HealthScreen only offers preliminary findings.

If the screening uncovers a disease, you’ll need to follow up with your primary care physician to discuss any further recommendations for care.

Additional Services to Contact:

For information on

Valve Programs

TAVR, MitraClip, and Watchman valve coordinator.

For information on

Left Ventricular Assist
Devices (LVADs)

24-hour LVAD line

For information on

Heart Failure Services

Pulmonary artery sensor monitoring (CardioMEMS) heart specialist line.

Patient Stories

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