PREVENTIVE CARDIOLOGY
PREVENTIVE CARDIOLOGY
UAB Medicine ’ s multidisciplinary Preventive Cardiology program offers expertise to help reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease and related complications across the continuum of care . Patients have the opportunity to be considered for novel treatments as part of national clinical trials . Our faculty are nationally and internationally recognized for their clinical and scientific contributions to the fields of clinical lipidology , hypertension , and cardiac rehabilitation . Our experienced staff includes cardiologists , nurses , clinical exercise physiologists certified by the American College of Sports Medicine ( ACSM ), nutritionists , psychologists , pharmacists , and a certified yoga teacher .
Our hypertension clinic sees patients with complicated or high-risk hypertension , isolated systolic hypertension , labile and fluctuating hypertension , and severe or difficult-to-treat hypertension . Outpatient services include 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring , hormonal and kidney assessments through 24-hour urine evaluation , and evaluation for possible causes of hypertension , such as hyperaldosteronism .
50 40 30 20 10 0 -10 -20 -30
PATIENTS ’ PERCENTAGE CHANGE FROM BASELINE TO COMPLETION OF CARDIAC REHABILITATION
17 %
Non-HDL cholesterol
20 %
LDL cholesterol
24 % 24 %
Fasting blood glucose
Dartmouth COOP
Six-minute walk test distance
18 %
Peak METs during CR
44 %
Our lipid clinic sees patients with complex lipid disorders , both genetic and acquired . This includes patients with familial hypercholesterolemia , combined hyperlipidemia , severe hypertriglyceridemia , elevated lipoprotein ( a ), and those who have difficulty tolerating lipid-lowering medications . The program is actively recruiting for the EVOLVE- MI study , a pragmatic trial that compares the effectiveness of early treatment with evolocumab plus routine lipid management ( vs . routine lipid management alone ) among patients hospitalized with myocardial infarction . The ORION 4 study – a double-blind , randomized , placebo-controlled trial assessing the effects of inclisiran on clinical outcomes among people with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease – is in the follow-up phase .
CARDIAC REHABILITATION The established benefits of cardiac rehabilitation ( CR ) include reduced cardiac mortality , improved quality of life , and fewer hospitalizations . UAB Medicine ’ s comprehensive CR program includes medically supervised exercise training , treatment of cardiovascular risk factors , lifestyle modification , and psychosocial management . Our program is certified by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation ( AACVPR ), reflecting UAB ’ s adherence to high standards and stringent care guidelines . The program also participates in the AACVPR national registry , to help our providers measure and improve patient outcomes . In addition , our program leaders recently were selected to serve as the Data Analytic Center for the National AACVPR Registry , representing our commitment to advancing the field of CR .
The Physical Rehabilitation for Older Patients with Acute Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction ( REHAB- HFpEF ) trial is a federally funded study that is actively recruiting . The study is designed to determine whether a novel , tailored , progressive , multi-domain physical therapy intervention started in the hospital and continued for 12 weeks improves outcomes among older patients hospitalized for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction .
Our preventive cardiology services include :
• Comprehensive cardiovascular risk assessment
• Multidisciplinary risk intervention
• Medical management to lower lipid levels
• Advanced cardiac imaging
• Nutrition services
• Rate Your Plate eating pattern assessment tool
• 6-minute walk test , to assess aerobic capacity / distance
• Dartmouth COOP functional status assessment
Evidence of the positive impact of CR therapy on patients who complete our program includes a 113 % increase in exercise minutes per day and a 100 % increase in exercise days per week . On average , UAB CR staff complete over 9,000 visits and more than 4,000 inpatient consults annually .
24 UAB Cardiovascular Institute 2023 Annual Report