Half of all people who experience a heart attack have neither symptoms nor any knowledge that they are at risk until the catastrophic event occurs. Yet with current treatments and preventive measures, about 80 percent of heart attacks could be prevented.

"The problem is in identifying the patient in need of the treatment," said Daniel S. Berman, MD, chief of Cardiac Imaging and co-director of the Preventive and Consultative Heart Center at the Smidt Heart Institute. "Part of what we do as is to raise awareness among these types of patients. We want patients, those who are at greatest risk, to learn about their risk factors so that measures can be taken early enough to prevent heart attacks."

The Preventive and Consultative Heart Center is nationally recognized by the Society for Heart Attack Prevention and Eradication. This recognition is due largely to its uniting of nationally and internationally recognized leaders in cardiology.

Through the activities of the Preventive and Consultative Heart Center, these interdisciplinary experts:

• Participate in clinical research projects
• Learn practice-changing results of recent clinical trials
• Apply new and innovative treatment options
• Develop quality-care initiatives to improve patient outcomes

More than 70 healthcare professionals are members of the Preventive and Consultative Heart Center team. They are physicians and other medical professionals with expertise in a wide range of heart-related clinical services. These services and programs include clinical electrophysiology, cardiac imaging, prevention, hypertension, arrhythmia, women’s health, heart failure and transplantation, interventional cardiology, cardiac surgery, cardiac rehabilitation, congenital heart disease and regenerative medicine.

To keep its members engaged, the Preventive and Consultative Heart Center hosts about 20 lectures a year in which top physicians from across the nation discuss the latest detection, prevention and treatment options in cardiology. In addition, the center holds quarterly meetings among its experts to examine new research findings and recent clinical guidelines, and to discuss methods for delivering optimal patient care.

"The advantage for patients coming to the Preventive and Consultative Heart Center is that they have access to the newest approaches to prevent and treat heart attacks and any other cardiac condition," said Asher Kimchi, MD, clinical chief of the Division of Cardiology and co-director of the Preventive and Consultative Heart Center. "We have put together a team that offers the highest quality of care at one of the most recognized institutes for heart disease in the world."