Israel Heart Center (IHC)

About

Israel Heart Center is the first cardiology group practice in Israel. IHC was established in 2015 based on the understanding that today’s cardiac patients are more challenging and frequently suffer from multiple cardiac problems. For that purpose, leading Israeli cardiologists from different disciplines in cardiology have joined together as a group practice – Israel Heart Center (IHC). Our goal is to provide you, the patient, the most comprehensive and professional care by bringing together in one center specialists in all fields of contemporary cardiology.

IHC will streamline the assessment of your cardiac problem, perform the required studies for further evaluation and will provide you the most advanced evidence-based therapies, either medical or interventional, all performed by leading specialists in the field.

Cardiology specialties in IHC

Ischemic heart disease:

IHC cardiologists are proficient in the assessment, clinical decision making and treatment of ischemic heart disease. You will be seen in the office by an IHC cardiologist specializing in the assessment and treatment of ischemic heart disease. After a full clinical evaluation you may be referred for further specific tests to further assess your complaint, such as an imaging based stress test, echocardiogram, or other tests as indicated. These tests are available on-premises and can be performed immediately, enabling rapid decision making. Upon completion of the clinical assessment, cardiac catheterization with percutaneous coronary intervention if indicated will be performed by IHC cardiologists who have all trained in interventional cardiology programs in North America and are among the leading interventional cardiologists in Israel.

Heart rhythm:

Our IHC cardiologists who specialize in the treatment of heart rhythm problems (Electrophysiology) have been trained at leading US centers. Patients with various symptoms, such as palpitations, syncope, atrial fibrillation or flutter, and those in need of a pacemaker – will benefit from the treatment of IHC cardiologists. During the initial office visit you will undergo a comprehensive clinical assessment, taking into account the results of all previous cardiac tests. This will enable your IHC cardiologist to formulate a clear plan for the assessment and subsequent treatment of your problem. The recommended tests can be completed rapidly in house, thus expediting the diagnosis and initiation of treatment, if required. Our electrophysiology specialists have extensive experience in invasive diagnostic and therapeutic procedures such as electrophysiology study, atrial fibrillation ablations, and other simple and advanced ablation procedures, as well as pacemaker and defibrillator implantations and are among the leading experts in their field.

Valvular heart disease:

Diseases affecting the heart valves are very common and while initially asymptomatic, will cause symptoms in more advanced disease. Late diagnosis of valvular disease can lead to irreversible damage to the heart muscle. Assessment and management of patients with valvular heart disease require a multidisciplinary approach. IHC Cardiologist are experts in the management of patients with valvular disorders. The assessment of such patients requires meticulous echocardiographic assessment by transthoracic echocardiography (“Echo”) and sometimes by trans-esophageal echocardiography (“TEE”/”TOE”). At IHC, these studies are performed and interpreted by highly qualified specialists in echocardiography and valvular disease. A critical aspect of management of patients with valvular heart disease is to decide on the optimal timing of intervention, either surgical or percutaneous (such as transcatheter aortic valve intervention, TAVI). The IHC multi-disciplinary team, including experts from all relevant cardiology sub-specialties, convenes specifically for this purpose. The team discusses each patient in depth enabling correct team-based decisions for each individual patient.

Heart disease prevention:

Today, more than ever, assessing the global risk of developing or progressing heart disease, and taking proactive measures to prevent onset of disease (primary prevention) or recurrence of myocardial infarction (secondary prevention) are of utmost importance. IHC cardiologists are experts in advising patients regarding their specific risk profile and advising necessary therapies. IHC utilizes the most dvanced and cutting edge technologies (such as CT-derived calcium score assessment) in order to provide the patient with the best-available assessment of individual risk and tailoring of the most appropriate therapies to prevent coronary events.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI)

Aortic valve stenosis is a common degenerative disorder of elderly population in which the aortic valve leaflets become degenerated causing a stenosis in the aortic valve, thus impairing flow from the left ventricle to the aorta and the entire body.
In the past, the only therapeutic option for patients with aortic stenosis was surgical valve replacement. This major cardiac surgery requires general anesthesia, cutting of the breastbone (sternum) and opening the rib cage to reach the heart. This surgery also requires the use of heart-lung bypass machine and long recovery.
In the last decade, a novel, successful approach has been developed to replace heart surgery - Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Using this approach we can replace the aortic valve through needle puncture in the groins.

TAVI is performed in the cath lab under fluoroscopy imaging, with mild sedation and without a need for mechanical ventilation. The new valve is implanted through a small puncture in the groin and the procedure takes less than 2 hours. Most patients are discharged home after 4-5 days.
The TAVI team in IHC include highly skilled interventional cardiologists with experience of hundreds of TAVI procedures who proctor new cardiologists around the world in this type of procedure. An anesthesiologist is present in the procedure to perform mild sedation during the procedure.

Clinical Assessment Protocol (CAP) for TAVI:
Step 1: Office consultation with an interventional cardiologist: During this initial visit the cardiologist will perform clinical evaluation, review medications, allergies, prior studies (echo, cardiac cath etc.) and provide detailed explanation regarding the procedure, risks, recovery.
Step 2: Imaging studies to determine eligibility to TAVI: Including echocardiography, CT angiography to assess aortic valve size and peripheral vasculature.
Step 3: Heart team discussion: Team of imaging cardiologist, cardiac surgeon, and interventional cardiologist will review the entire clinical and anatomic data to determine suitability for TAVI procedure
Step 4: Recommendation: If a patient is determined to be suitable for TAVI, a procedure will be scheduled. If TAVI procedure is not possible (either due to anatomic or clinical issues) an additional office visit will be scheduled in order to discuss alternative options for treatment.