If you have a family history of heart disease, are concerned about high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking and other cardiovascular risks, or if you are recovering from a heart attack or surgery, you can benefit from the Dr Samir Chaukkar's Preventive Cardiology program.

The program specializes in prevention, early detection and the treatment of cardiac problems, with an emphasis on rehabilitation. Using state-of-the-art technology, program members provide patients with a comprehensive cardiovascular risk assessment. Based on those results, a skilled, multidisciplinary team devises an individual plan and educates patients on how to improve their heart health, which can include modifying their diet and lifestyle.

This is accomplished with a combination of individual and group therapies such as diet, food preparation, weight control and smoking cessation classes.

In addition to cardiac problems, patients are screened for all types cardiovascular diseases, including blockages and clotting of the legs, neck, heart and kidneys.

Diseases such as hypertension, high cholesterol and diabetes are our targets for prevention. We examine patients much earlier to prevent these conditions.

Various screenings may include the carotid arteries, coronary arteries, testing for peripheral arterial disease (PAD/PVD), and renal artery stenosis.

When patients begin the program, they will have a complete physical, as well as advanced blood tests, which can include a total cholesterol test called the lipoprotein test. A complete family history, medical history and lifestyle history will be taken.

Patients may undergo non-invasive diagnostic testing like EKGs and stress tests and unlike any typical doctors office, the patients may have more technologically advanced tests such as 3-demensional echocardiography and the 16-slice CT scan to get clear and accurate images of the heart.

The Preventive Cardiology program encompasses the following services: preventive cardiology clinics, which include lipid, hypertension, nutrition and risk reduction clinics; inpatient and outpatient cardiac rehabilitation; pulmonary rehabilitation, risk factor and vascular screening programs, exercise stress testing, exercise prescription and counseling, smoking cessation, stress management and several other clinical, research and educational programs.