Cardiology at UPMC Salvator Mundi International Hospital

At UPMC Salvator Mundi International Hospital (SMIH), you will be able to undergo cardiology examinations and services for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of all acute and chronic heart conditions. These diseases can be congenital, that is, present already at birth, or acquired, and therefore appear in the course of life.

What is Cardiology?

Cardiology at UPMC uses different methods to diagnose, treat, and monitor cardiac disease. Some are outpatient, such as scheduled appointments, or an examination, such as an electrocardiogram. Others, are performed in day hospital or through hospitalization: this is always the case for some invasive diagnostic tests, such as coronary angiography or surgery.

For the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease, UPMC Salvator Mundi International Hospital provides various services, including:

• Cardiological examinations.
• Non-invasive and invasive cardiology diagnostic procedures.
• Programs for the clinical management of cardiovascular diseases.
• Interventional cardiology.
• Outpatient services, day hospital, and hospitalization.
• Urgent consulting service, with the presence of a cardiologist available 24 hours a day, even on holidays.

The main non-invasive diagnostic services are:

• Electrocardiogram.
• Transthoracic doppler echocardiogram.
• Ergometric test and stress electrocardiogram.
• Dynamic holter electrocardiogram.
• Pharmacological eco-stress.
• 24-hour monitoring of blood pressure.
• Trans-esophageal echocardiogram with multi-plan probe.
• Trans-esophageal echocardiogram with microbubble test.
• Control of pacemakers and automatic defibrillators.

Among the main invasive diagnostic services, however, there are:

• Coronary angiography.
• Electrophysiological study of the heart, to diagnose arrhythmias.

When it comes to interventional cardiology, UPMC Salvator Mundi offers you several specialized procedures, including:

• Coronary and electrophysiological intervention.
• Electrical cardioversion – a functional procedure to stop arrhythmias.
• Implantation of pacemakers and automatic defibrillators.

UPMC SMIH also has an angiographic room for hemodynamics. It is used for interventional procedures such as coronary angiography and angioplasty, and for the management of conditions such as heart failure, atrial fibrillation and ischemic heart disease.

Cardiology Conditions We Treat at UPMC

The heart has primary responsibility of pumping blood in the body. This is how organs and tissues receive the oxygen and nutrients that cells need. And it is always through the blood pumped by the heart that carbon dioxide and waste substances reach the lungs, liver and kidneys, which process and eliminate them.

Heart disease, therefore, can have serious consequences for the whole body. By damaging the heart, in fact, they alter and/or reduce cardiac function and oxygen supply in vessels and organs.

Among the pathologies involving the heart and cardiovascular system are:

• Pathologies of the coronary arteries: Also called coronary heart disease, these conditions cause damage to the blood vessels that carry blood to the heart. Their main cause is atherosclerosis, that is, the formation of cholesterol plaques in blood vessels.
• Ischemic pathologies of the heart: Among them are heart attacks and angina pectoris. They are caused by the lack of sufficient oxygenated blood supply to the heart.
• Cerebrovascular pathologies: Examples of these pathologies are ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke and subarachnoid hemorrhage, which occurs in the space where the cerebral arteries flow. They are pathologies of the nervous system caused by an alteration of blood circulation.
• Pathologies of the heart valves: Also called valvulopathies, examples of these pathologies are aortic or mitral insufficiency and pulmonary insufficiency or stenosis. They can be congenital or acquired and are manifested by defects of the heart's surface. In particular, with the incomplete closure or opening of one or more of the four heart valves that regulate the blood supply to the heart, or between the atria and ventricles.
• Cardiomyopathies: These are diseases that affect the heart muscle, reducing its ability to contract.
• Arrhythmias: Among these, there are fibrillations, extrasystoles and tachycardias, which can cause the heart can beat too fast or too slow, or irregularly.

Who Are Cardiological Services at UPMC For?

If you suspect you have a heart condition, you can start your diagnostic journey at UPMC Salvator Mundi. Through visits and thorough examinations, our specialists will be able to identify the causes of your disorder. And, if it heart disease is present, our doctors will assist you throughout the entire treatment process.

In addition, you can contact us for the implantation of pacemakers and automatic defibrillators, schedule a cardiac surgery, and request urgent specialist consultation.

Our Doctors

• Dr. Cristina Belati
• Dr. Carla Boschetti
• Dr. Antonella Chiera
• Dr. Maria Teresa Cifarelli
• Dr. Andrea Cortellesi
• Dr. Piergiuseppe De Girolamo
• Prof. Leonardo De Luca
• Dr. Natale Di Belardino
• Dr. Tiziana Ferri
• Prof. Leonarda Galiuto
• Prof. Cesare Greco
• Dr. Giovanni Minardi
• Dr. Gian Francesco Mureddu
• Dr. Marco Stefano Nazzaro
• Dr. Sandro Petrolati
• Dr. Patrizia Romano
• Dr. Elisabetta Rossi
• Dr. Matteo Ruzzolini
• Dr. Giovanni Serafini
• Dr. Pietro Tanzi
• Dr. Massimo Uguccioni
• Prof. Francesco Versaci