Heart specialists at University of Missouri Health Care provide outstanding cardiac care to the people of mid-Missouri.

One of the premier teaching hospitals in the Midwest, University Hospital has a first-rate medical staff and state-of-the-art technology. University physicians were first in mid-Missouri to perform open-heart surgery (1958), first to perform cardiac catheterization (1967), and first to offer cardiac ablation and many other innovative forms of therapy. University Hospital is the only hospital in mid-Missouri to achieve national accreditation as a Chest Pain Center and to receive the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Successful Practice Award for treating patients with acute myocardial infarction.

In addition to these important firsts, heart specialists at University Hospital are attentive to the less-dramatic details that mean better patient care. For example, until recently cardiac catheterization patients had to remain immobile for eight hours after a procedure to prevent bleeding from the arterial access point. Now, University Hospital patients are able to walk and move around just two short hours after their catheterization, thanks to a new technique using collagen plugs to seal the artery. This innovative technology makes for a speedier and more comfortable recovery.

Cardiologists offer a full range of diagnostic and nonsurgical treatments for heart disease. Some of the more common ones are:

• Cardiac catheterization
• Echocardiography
• EKG
• Electrophysiology studies
• Holter monitoring and cardiac event monitoring
• Nuclear tests
• Transesophageal echocardiography
• Stress testing

For patients who need heart surgery, University Hospital offers one of the state's most active cardiothoracic referral centers. Surgeons perform more than 1,200 operations each year. These include procedures for pulmonary, esophageal, congenital and acquired cardiac defects; thoracic and vascular trauma; cardiac conduction disorders; and endoscopy.

Fit for Life provides cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation and prevention programs for patients during their hospital stay and after they return home.

Our Cardiovascular Outreach Program makes "hospital calls" with a van of specialized equipment. The medical team includes a cardiologist, a cardiology nurse and an ultrasonographer. Services include cardiology consultation, echocardiography and stress testing. The outreach program currently serves patients in seven different locations throughout Missouri.

In 1982, pediatric cardiologist Zuhdi Lababidi performed the world's first aortic valvuloplasty, a procedure to correct aortic valve stenosis in neonates. Today, patients come from around the world to be treated by Dr. Lababidi.

To learn about our cardiovascular medicine physicians, click here. To learn about our cardiothoracic surgeons, click here.

To schedule an appointment, please call (573) 882-7000.