Our approach to general cardiology services

Heart issues can significantly impact your life. That's why our team is dedicated to compassionate, personalized care to help you manage your heart health. 

We're dedicated to prevention, with a holistic approach focused on lowering your risk and preventing future heart attacks or strokes. Or if you've already had a cardiovascular event, we'll focus on stabilization to prevent another occurrence. 

Conditions we treat

• angina
• aneurysms
• arrhythmia
• atherosclerosis
• atrial fibrillation
• bradycardia
• cardiomyopathy
• congenital heart disease
• congestive heart failure
• coronary artery disease (CAD)
• chronic total occlusion (CTO)
• heart disease
• heart murmur
• high cholesterol
• hypertension
• peripheral artery disease (PAD)
• stenosis
• syncope (fainting)

Tests and treatments

WellSpan's cardiac team uses the most advanced medical technologies and methodologies in diagnosing heart conditions. These include:

• Cardiac calcium scoring: Calcium is one substance in arterial plaque, which causes thickening or hardening of the artery, a potentially fatal condition called atherosclerosis. Using state-of-the-art computed tomography (CT) scans, WellSpan doctors can detect the level of calcium in the arteries. This cardiac calcium score helps doctors estimate the extent of cardiovascular disease.
• Coronary CTA and MRI: WellSpan stays up to date on the very latest heart-imaging technologies. These include CT scans, coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Painless and noninvasive, these diagnostic tools help your doctor assess your heart function and determine whether plaque buildup has narrowed the heart’s blood vessels.
• Echocardiograms (2D and 3D): An echocardiogram (heart ultrasound) uses sound waves to create pictures of the heart in 2D or 3D. With an echocardiogram, your doctor can learn a great deal about the condition of your heart, its pumping capacity and any tissue damage. Like CT scans and MRIs, echocardiograms are painless and noninvasive, so you can quickly return to your daily life.
• Electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG): The heart has its own electrical system that keeps it beating properly. An electrocardiogram—known as an EKG or ECG—measures this electrical activity, giving your WellSpan cardiologist a wealth of useful information. Your cardiologist can gauge the overall health of the heart, determine possible causes of unexplained chest pain and, if you have a pacemaker, tell whether the device is controlling the heartbeat correctly.
• Exercise and pharmacological stress testing: Stress testing allows WellSpan doctors to test your heart function in a controlled, safe environment. In the most common kind of stress test, your provider will collect various data on your heart as you walk on a treadmill. If you can’t perform the exercise test because of physical limitations, you may do a pharmacological stress test that tests your heart using medication.
• Holter monitor and event recorder services: A Holter monitor is a wearable device that takes your EKG readings over a 24- to 48-hour period. An event recorder, by contrast, records your heart function only at certain times. The data from these devices give your WellSpan cardiologist a more complete picture of your heart function and helps determine whether you need any additional treatments.
• Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE): Like a standard echocardiogram, a transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) test uses sound waves to take pictures of your heart. The TEE test involves passing a thin tube with a tiny ultrasound device down your throat into your esophagus. TEE allows your WellSpan provider to get even clearer images of the upper chambers of the heart and the valves between the chambers.