Cardiology
Cardiology is the medical treatment of diseases of the heart and parts of the circulatory system. Cardiologists are the doctors who specialize in diagnosing and treating these conditions.
Cardiologists in St. Petersburg, Florida
The Tampa Bay Heart Institute at HCA Florida Northside Hospital is a comprehensive cardiac care center in St. Petersburg, Florida.
It offers innovative diagnostic and treatment options for heart disease, enabling us to fulfill our commitment to give you high-quality heart care. We want to help you have the healthy heart you deserve to have, not just today and tomorrow — but for all the days after that.
Is your heart healthy?
Understanding your heart health is critical to getting the care you need. We offer a health risk assessment to help get you started.
Understanding your heart health is critical to getting the care you need. We offer a health risk assessment to help get you started.
Related Specialties
Learn more about our related specialties
Cardiac conditions we treat
We offer a comprehensive program to treat a variety of conditions, including:
- Acute coronary syndrome
- Angina (chest pain)
- Arrhythmias, including tachycardia and ventricular tachycardia
- Aortic coarctation
- Aortic insufficiency
- Bacterial endocarditis
- Cardiac tamponade
- Cardiomyopathy
- Coronary artery disease
- Heart attacks
- Heart failure, including congestive heart failure
- Heart murmurs
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in adults
- Mitral valve prolapse
- Pulmonary hypertension
- Septal defects
Our heart and vascular services
We are proud to offer advanced, patient-centered cardiology services in the St. Petersburg, Florida, community.
Cardiac diagnostics
We offer a variety of advanced cardiac diagnostic exams and tests, including:
- Computerized tomography (CT), including a 64-slice CT scanner for advanced cardiac mapping
- Echocardiograms
- Electrocardiograms (EKGs or ECGs), including resting and signal-averaged EKGs
- Electrophysiology (EP) studies
- Holter monitoring
- Intravascular ultrasounds (IVUSs)
- Noninvasive vascular studies
- Nuclear imaging stress tests
- Peripheral angiography
- Transesophageal echocardiograms (TEEs)
- Treadmill exercise stress tests
Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory (Cath Lab)
Our Cardiac Cath Lab is equipped with advanced digital technology that allows us to give you precise medical imaging. Our newly designed X-ray panels also decrease your exposure to radiation.
When necessary, angioplasty and stent procedures can also be performed in the Cath Lab. This offers you minimally invasive treatments for many heart conditions.
Electrophysiology Lab
Our Electrophysiology Lab offers advanced technology for detecting abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias), such as atrial fibrillation (AFib). If an arrhythmia is detected, our electrophysiologists can locate exactly where it occurs in your heart. This helps us determine the most effective treatment for you.
Heart attack treatment
A heart attack occurs when blood is prevented from reaching the heart, usually due to a clot. This causes parts of the heart to die. A heart attack is an emergency condition, which requires immediate care.
Heart attack signs
There are many signs and symptoms of a heart attack. Some of the more common symptoms of a heart attack include:
- Chest discomfort, including pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain that lasts for more than a few minutes or that subsides and then returns
- Discomfort in the upper body, including pain in one or both arms or the back, neck, jaw or stomach
- Indigestion or gastric fullness that is not relieved by antacids
- Shortness of breath
- Additional signs may include cold sweats, nausea or sudden lightheadedness
If you think you are experiencing heart attack symptoms, immediately call 911.
Heart attack risk factors
In men, the risk of a heart attack increases at 45 years old. In women, heart attacks are more likely to occur if the woman has experienced menopause or is 50 years old or older.
Additional factors that may put a person at a higher risk of having a heart attack include:
- Being a tobacco user
- Being obese
- Having a family history of premature coronary artery disease
- Having diabetes
- Having high cholesterol
- Having hypertension
- Having peripheral artery disease
- Having symptomatic carotid arterial disease
If you want to reduce your chances of heart damage, we encourage you to talk to your doctor about how you can make the following lifestyle modifications:
- Eat a diet that is low in saturated fat and high in fiber
- Exercise regularly
- Lose weight if you are overweight or obese
- Quit smoking
Stroke treatment
A stroke is a medical emergency during which blood flow to the brain is either reduced or stopped, depriving brain tissue of essential oxygen and nutrients. A stroke may cause loss in brain function and affect movement and speech.
Our emergency room (ER) offers 24/7 stroke treatment. This is important because fast treatment decreases the likelihood of stroke-related disability.
Cardiac procedures and interventions
To treat a range of conditions, our heart surgeons offer advanced cardiac procedures and surgeries, including:
- Angioplasty
- Atherectomy
- Atrial septal defect (ASD) closure and repair
- Automatic implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (AICD) and implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) installations
- Balloon valvuloplasty
- Coronary angiography
- Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG)
- Coronary stent insertion
- Electrical cardioversion
- Heart valve repair and replacement
- Intra-aortic balloon pump
- Mitral valve repair and replacement
- Open-heart surgery
- Patent foramen ovale (PFO) closures and repairs
- Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA)
- Permanent pacemaker implantation
- Radiofrequency ablation
- Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR)
- Other minimally invasive thoracic surgeries
Cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation
We offer inpatient and outpatient pulmonary and cardiac rehabilitation programs to help patients recover from surgery or manage medical conditions. Our programs involve individualized treatment plans, which may include physical therapy, monitored exercise and dietary education.
Our heart hospital's other advanced services
We provide more than just heart care — we provide care for your whole person. As part of that, we offer cardiovascular care services that are designed around getting you healthy as quickly and effectively as possible. These offerings include specialized units that provide comprehensive, moment-to-moment heart scans and cardiac monitoring, ensuring we can give you the highest quality care.
Cardiac surgical suites
Our cardiovascular operating rooms have state-of-the-art audio and visual communication systems. This allows our surgeons and surgical teams to instantly access your records without having to leave your side.
After surgery, we offer patient-focused critical care in private, serene rooms, which are designed to promote healing.
Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU)
Our CVICU is staffed by professional nurses who are specially trained in cardiovascular intensive care.
Intermediate Critical Care Unit (ICCU)
This unit offers a monitoring system which was designed specifically for pre- and postoperative patients.
Structural Valve Center
The experienced cardiothoracic surgeons at our Structural Valve Center provide surgical interventions and treatments for diseased heart valves. This is where we offer our structural heart program, which provides aortic stenosis treatment, heart wall closure surgery and other procedures for structural heart conditions.
Cardiovascular clinical trials
We forge new frontiers of cardiovascular care and treatment with research and the development of preventive and educational services. To offer our patients the option of participating in cardiovascular clinical trials, we have partnered with Sarah Cannon Research Institute.
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