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NEW PACE (North Eastern Wisconsin Pacing and Cardiac Electrophysiology) is Cardiology Associates of Green Bay's Heart Rhythm management division. Dr. Munagala and Dr. Jazayeri are board certified electrophysiologists. They specialize in heart rhythm disorders. Heart rhythm disorders can be complex and cause conditions as serious as sudden death and heart failure. They may also cause bothersome symptoms such as palpitations, fatigue, shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness, or syncope (blackout or loss of consciousness). Our specialists provide a number of services including electrocardiography, holter monitors, event monitors, CardioNet MCOT™ monitoring, implantable loop recorders, tilt table testing, cardioversion, electrophysiology studies, electrophysiology mapping, catheter ablation using radio frequency and cryoablation, permanent pacemaker implantation, implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) and Cardiac Resynchronization with biventricular pacing.
Dr. Jazayeri is the director of NEW PACE. He and Dr. Munagala lead the heart rhythm management team which also includes nurse practitioner, Anne Vogt, and several nurse specialists. We provide a device clinic in several locations including Green Bay, Marinette, Iron Mountain, Oconto Falls, Manitowoc and Sturgeon Bay in order to provide convenient service to our many patients with pacemakers and defibrillators throughout the region.
Our cardiologists are on call and available 24 / 7 for emergencies. An interventional cardiologist and electrophysiologist are always on call in case of the need for an emergency procedure. Heart catherization can be life saving in the case of a heart attack. Emergency pacemaker implantation can be life saving in the case of a severe heart rhythm disorder. We have admitting privileges at Bellin Hospital and St. Vincent Hospital in Green Bay. We are also available for consultation at other regional hospitals.
We take pride in our ability to save heart muscle by opening arteries quickly during heart attacks. Along with Bellin Hospital we participate in the national Door-to-Balloon Initiative. The door-to-balloon time is the amount of time it takes from the moment a person having a heart attack arrives through the door of the hospital until the blocked coronary artery is opened up with angioplasty in the heart catherization laboratory. National guidelines state that hospitals treating STEMI patients with emergency PCI should reliably achieve a door-to-balloon time of 90 minutes or less. Many hospitals have not had success achieving this goal. We have been consistently achieving times less than 60 minutes on average. By working closely with emergency medical services, we have been able to push door-to-balloon times below 15-20 minutes in some cases with pre-hospital notification of heart attacks.
Heart Failure is truly the failure of the heart to perform its normal duties as a pump. In general, this is due to the heart becoming too weak or too stiff. This can result in poor blood flow to the body's vital organs and elevated pressures in the heart and lungs which ultimately lead to congestion (abnormal build up of fluid in the chest, abdomen and extremities). Symptoms include: shortness of breath, fatigue and swelling. Everyday activities such as walking, climbing stairs or carrying groceries can become very difficult.
Heart failure can be a serious condition. However, with proper diagnosis and treatment, many people with heart failure lead full, active, enjoyable lives. For optimal outcomes people need to work closely with their care providers. It's also helpful to have the support of family and friends who understand your condition.
We provide a Heart Failure clinic because we understand the importance of the relationship between the patient and their care provider. Having a close relationship with a specialist who truly understands the complexities of heart failure, but also knows your other medical and medication history is important. This relationship is vital in order to make the correct decisions regarding the need for lifestyle modification, medication adjustments or benefits of other therapies such as enhanced external counterpulsation, devices such as pacemakers or ICDs, or surgery.
Services provided include: Echocardiography, Transesophageal echocardiography, Coronary Calcium Scoring, Cardiac CT Angiography, Stress Echocardiography, Nuclear Cardiology, Exercise stress testing, Cardiac Rhythm monitoring, Vascular ultrasound testing including Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI) and Cardiac MRI (coming fall '09).
The interventional cardiologists of Cardiology Associates of Green Bay perform a variety of leading interventional treatments and diagnostic tests. The techniques include intracardiac hemodynamic measurements, balloon angioplasty, stent implantation, atherectomy procedures, thrombectomy, intravascular ultrasound, fractional flow reserve measurements, intraaortic balloon pump insertions and vascular closure devices. In addition, a range of medications are often combined with interventional procedures to improve initial results and long-term effectiveness.
Drs. Wolfram and Tanke are interventional cardiologists and vascular specialists. They are the champions of our PAD clinic. We are members of the national PAD Coalition. We strive to identify patients with PAD and properly treat them through a combination of lifestyle modification and medical management to reduce the chances of disabling leg pain, limb amputation, heart attack, stroke and sudden death. We offer state-of-the-art minimally invasive leg revascularization by endovascular intervention through small catheters. We also participate in clinical research which can offer treatment options not otherwise available.
At Cardiology Associates we are passionate about not only treating heart and vascular disease, but preventing it. Heart and vascular diseases are the most common cause of death and disability in America. Heart attack, stroke and sudden cardiac death can often times be prevented. Identifying an individual's personal risk is the first step. There are a number of classic risk factors for heart attack. The strongest of these include diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure), high cholesterol, smoking and genetics (family history of early heart disease). Others include obesity, sedentary (inactive) lifestyle, and conditions causing inflammation.
Because heart disease is the most common cause of death in the country, everyone should understand their own personal risk of heart attack. We offer an inexpensive, Heart Attack Risk Assessment, for those of us without known heart disease, to help people identify their future risk. If you fall into an intermediate risk group, you may benefit from other testing such as C-reactive protein or Heart calcium scoring. Heart calcium scoring can be a powerful tool in helping to identify your personal risk of heart attack. This is not typically covered by insurance, but is offered through Bellin Health, for a $50 fee. Cardiology Associates' providers read these exams at no cost and send a report to the patient and their provider.