Division of Cardiology
About the Division chair | About
the division | Contact
information
Faculty members | Clinical
areas | Research
areas
Fellowship training
programs
About the Division chair
George W. Vetrovec, M.D.
Dr. Vetrovec is Chairman of the Division of Cardiology, Director of the Adult Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, and the Department of Internal Medicine’s Associate Chairman of Medicine for Clinical Affairs. He is the Martha M. and Harold W. Kimmerling, M.D. Chair in Cardiology.
In addition to administrative, research and teaching activities, Dr. Vetrovec is an active clinical cardiologist, including performing catheterization and interventional procedures. In 1997, he was awarded Clinician of the Year by his physician colleagues in the University practice. Best Doctors Inc. has listed him as one of the Best Doctors in America for more than 12 years.
About the Division of Cardiology
The Division of Cardiology manages every aspect of cardiovascular disease, from early detection of heart disease to treatment of the most complex cardiac conditions. Clinical program areas include non-invasive cardiology, interventional cardiology, cardiac arrhythmias (electrophysiology), acute chest pain management, and heart failure.
There is close collaboration between the Division of Cardiology, the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery and the Division of Pediatric Cardiology to provide all ages of patients, with every type of heart disease—from pediatric patients with congenital defects to patients requiring aortic surgery or transplants—with individualized, patient-centered care.
The Division operates the VCU Pauley Heart Center.
Contact information
Division chair
George W. Vetrovec, M.D.
P.O. Box 980036
Richmond, Virginia 23298-0036
Phone: (804) 828-8885
E-mail: gvetrove@hsc.vcu.edu
Coordinator
Cindy Dutilly
P.O. Box 980036
Richmond, Virginia 23298-0036
Phone: (804) 628-1215
E-mail: cldutill@vcu.edu
Faculty members
The Division of Cardiology is the largest division of the VCU Department of Internal Medicine with more than 30 board-certified cardiologists, seven of whom have joint appointments at the McGuire Veterans Administration Medical Center. All of our physicians hold faculty positions in the VCU School of Medicine, and are involved in clinical and basic research as well as clinical care.
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Clinical areas
Noninvasive Cardiology Services
The Division’s Noninvasive Cardiology Services section is the leading provider of diagnostic cardiovascular services in central Virginia. Patients have access to a full range of noninvasive diagnostic tests performed and evaluated by an experienced team of cardiologists and specialized technicians and nurses, using the most advanced equipment and technologies. Services include transthoracic echocardiography, transesophageal echocardiography, exercise stress testing, exercise stress echocardiography, dobutamine stress echocardiography, contrast echocardiography, ambulatory Holter monitoring and electrocardiography. More than 100 patients each day are evaluated for an array of cardiovascular conditions, for both diagnostic and management purposes, including coronary artery disease, valve disease, heart muscle disease, infections in the heart, abnormal heart rhythms and inherited heart disease.
Interventional/Invasive Cardiology Services
Our Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory provides cardiology patients with access to the area’s most sophisticated equipment and technology for the diagnosis and treatment of coronary artery disease and other conditions or diseases of the vascular system.
To evaluate the extent and location of cardiovascular disease, an invasive technique called cardiac catheterization is used. The technique allows our invasive cardiology specialists to measure pressures, inject contrast dye, and take x-ray pictures of blood vessels and cardiac structures for precise, immediate diagnostic information. Often, the information indicates how best to correct the problem—with surgery, medications or other interventional cardiac procedures.
In our Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory we perform the latest interventional procedures to open blocked arteries and re-establish blood flow to the heart. These procedures are all performed using cardiac catheterization techniques and include angioplasty, rotational and directional atherectomy, valvuloplasty and stent placement.
Cardiac Arrhythmia (Electrophysiology) Services
Clinical Electrophysiology focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of arrhythmias, or irregular heartbeats, which are conditions related to the electrical or conduction system of the heart. We treat patients with a wide variety of abnormal heart rhythms, including bradyarrhythmias (slow heart beating), tachyarrhythmias (fast heart beating), syncope (passing out) and congestive heart failure.
Our diagnostic procedures include the most advanced diagnostic electrophysiology studies as well as mapping and ablation of ventricular and supraventricular arrhythmias, Holter monitoring, implantable monitoring, transtelephonic monitoring, tilt table testing, and for patients with implanted pacing devices, long-term follow-up. Intervention options include internal and external cardioversion, catheter radiofrequency ablation, catheter cryoablation, pacemaker implantation, cardiac defibrillator implantation, implantation of cardiac resynchronization devices, laser lead extraction, and administration of standard and investigational drugs.
Acute Chest Pain Management
Patients who are experiencing chest pain receive the most advanced chest pain evaluation and treatment procedures available in the region. Our Acute Chest Pain Management unit is nationally recognized for its chest pain diagnosis system that quickly and reliably identifies emergency patients suspected of having acute cardiac disease. The innovative solution—“Heart Track”—is a triage system that assists healthcare professionals in rapidly classifying chest pain patients and setting them on an appropriate course for treatment.
Heart Failure and Transplant
The goal of our Heart Failure program is to improve function and quality of life and postpone, or completely avoid, a congestive heart failure (CHF) patient's need for a transplant. Drawing on the combined resources of the VCU Medical Center, we follow a very individualized approach to each patient's treatment.
A site for a variety of clinical drug trials, the Division provides physicians and their patients access to investigative drugs which may not be available at other medical centers. Our cardiologists administer innovative therapies that provide dramatic results, often enabling patients to gain full recovery of heart function.
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Research areas
Cardiology Division physicians and investigators are awarded over $2 million annually from public and private entities in support of basic and clinical research. Faculty has received significant NIH funding for over 30 years.
Our basic research lab deals primarily with cardiovascular research on ischemia and reperfusion injury. This includes investigations on different approaches and therapeutic tools that have the potential to minimize the damage to the heart that occurs following a heart attack.
Clinical research is ongoing in each of our subspecialty areas, with a common goal of optimizing outcomes for patients with cardiovascular disease utilizing the latest imaging, pharmacologic and device technologies.
The physicians in our electrophysiology clinic are involved in research on new investigational devices for bradycardia pacing, antitachycardia pacing and defibrillation, as well as new investigational antiarrhythmic drugs. The faculty is working with several companies to develop new tools and techniques to cure atrial fibrillation through a variety of ablation systems, including both radiofrequency and cryoablation.
Our Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory physicians are focused on improving efficiency and safety of guidewire passage by the use of a magnetic guidance system for steering wires; using cath lab based CT to enhance assessment of blockages and cardiac function; and evaluating new drugs used as an adjunct treatment to coronary intervention.
The cardiologists and support staff of the Noninvasive Cardiology Laboratories are involved in new and continuing research focused on equipment development, devices and drug interventions. The Lab faculty members collaborate on a variety of research projects with their colleagues in other areas of Cardiology, including Interventional Cardiology, Electrophysiology, Acute Cardiac Care and Heart Failure.
Fellowship training programs
The Cardiology Fellowship Program has been training physicians to be board-certified cardiologists since the 1950s. Over that time, hundreds of women and men have completed training in general cardiology, interventional cardiology, cardiac electrophysiology and cardiovascular research.
Cardiologists who received their training here are at the forefront of the fight against heart disease and stroke. Currently, we have former trainees in 25 states and seven countries, in the top academic medical centers, private practices, and public- and private-sector research labs.
Please refer to the links below for each of our three programs. Note that the Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship program has two tracks—a clinical track and a research track.
Application information for each program can be found at the end of each program description. If you would like additional information on any program please contact the appropriate program office, which is listed under each program section.
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2007/01/12
The Pauley Heart Center Website