Prevention of Heart and Vascular Disease Clinics
Weekly cardiology clinics, as well as a wide range of comprehensive medical services, are provided for the prevention, evaluation and treatment of heart disease.
Lipid Clinic
This clinic provides evaluation and treatment for lipid and cholesterol disorders. Therapies include prescription medications and over-the-counter agents/vitamins, nutritional counseling and lifestyle recommendations. We are experts at managing patients who cannot tolerate statin medications. Our clinicians also assess patients for new drug treatments such as PCSK9 inhibitor/antibody use, lomitapide, mipomersen and facilitate the initiation process of these medications. Through our position in advancing cardiovascular science, we often have early access to medications prior to approval, either through clinical trials or compassionate use. In addition, some patients are being treated for issues not included on certain drug labels, under granted approval from the Food and Drug Administration.
Patients are seen for issues including markedly elevated LDL levels, markedly elevated triglyceride levels (hypertriglyceridemia, including complications of pancreatitis), low HDL levels, lipoprotein (a) elevations, premature coronary artery disease (CAD) in a patient or family, general cardiovascular risk assessment, and dyslipidemia associated with issues like bone marrow transplantation and HIV and prediabetes/diabetes.
For certain patients, Lipid Clinic staff serve as the patient’s cardiologist, allowing for integrated care that avoids an extra visit. We work with existing and referring cardiologists, coordinating care and deferring cardiovascular decision making to the primary cardiologist.
Executive Cardiovascular Health Evaluation
This clinic offers executives and other individuals a comprehensive, personalized one-day assessment of their cardiovascular health and risks, including relevant blood work and imaging, followed by a consultation with a preventive cardiologist to discuss measures to best manage any existing conditions and risks and also improve their general as well as cardio-metabolic health. Prior programs have included evaluation and management of executive groups.
Cardiovascular Rheumatology Clinic
Recent studies have highlighted the extent to which patients with inflammatory rheumatologic disorders have an increased risk of heart disease and cardiovascular complications. In collaboration with BWH’s world-renowned Rheumatology Division, we have established a clinic focused on evaluating and treating patients with rheumatologic conditions, allowing expertise in these patients and their cardiovascular issues to be concentrated amongst a group of cardiologists.
Diabetes Clinic
The increased risk of heart disease in diabetes and the frequency with which these issues present together led to the establishment of a Diabetes Clinic in Cardiology, held in the Watkins Clinic at Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s Heart & Vascular Center. The Diabetes Clinic is offered concurrently with the Lipid Clinic, which allows patients to see both their diabetes physician and cardiologist in the same visit.
Coronary Artery Calcium Scanning/CV Risk Assessment Program
The Coronary Artery Calcium (CAC)/CV Risk Assessment Program integrates expertise in cardiovascular imaging and preventive cardiology. A coronary artery calcium (CAC) scan is a rapid test that visualizes the presence and severity of atherosclerosis involving the coronary arteries without use of any contrast agents. This test can help determine the risk of future cardiovascular disease among individuals with no history of established coronary artery disease. Your doctor can use the information from this test, together with other risk factors such as your blood pressure and cholesterol levels, to determine your future risk of having a heart attack or stroke. Individuals who have coronary plaque have a higher risk of future events and will benefit from treatment with cholesterol-lowering medications, aspirin and other preventive measures. Specialists will guide patients in decision-making to determine whether or not the test is needed, how to interpret results, and what the appropriate responses are to any given result. Other imaging modalities to assess atherosclerosis are also available.
Community Prevention and Wellness
Our dedication to preventing heart attacks and strokes includes community outreach and teaching.
Community Outreach in Preventive Cardiology provides screenings and educational presentations in local Boston communities.
The Linda Joy Pollin Women's Heart Center is one of three select centers in the United States (UCLA, Johns Hopkins, BWH) dedicated to preventing heart disease in women.
Roxbury Tenants of Harvard – working with our neighbors at this housing complex adjacent to BWH, we provide preventive screenings and educational events.
Students Teaching Early Prevention trains Harvard Medical School students on healthy lifestyle and prevention issues and sends these students into area middle schools and high schools to lead programs on making healthy choices.
