Dr. Alec Vishnevsky, MD, FACC, FSCAI, Associate Director of the Cardiovascular Diseases Fellowship and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Sidney Kimmel Medical College, shares a bit about his work with the Heart and Vascular Institute and advice on how to keep your heart in tip-top shape.
Q: What do you enjoy most about working for the Heart and Vascular Program at Jefferson?
A: Empowering patients to understand their ailments, giving them tools to improve their health, and helping them to feel better and live longer through minimally invasive procedures are the most gratifying aspects of the work that I do at Jefferson. We have an amazing team at the Heart and Vascular Center that is second to none and makes coming to work each day an enjoyable experience.
Q: What type of work do you do as an interventional cardiologist?
A: I treat patients with coronary artery disease, valvular heart disease, and structural heart defects through minimally invasive, non-surgical treatments such as coronary stents, prosthetic heart valves and devices (TAVR, MitraClip), and other cutting-edge technologies. I also take care of patients whose hearts are failing by implanting temporary circulatory support devices that can augment the function of a weakened heart. And lastly, I train and mentor our cardiology fellows who will become future leaders of the next generation of cardiologists.
Q: What is the number one piece of advice you give your patients, specifically related to heart health?
The best advice I can give to patients is to commit to living a healthy lifestyle each day, and to stay on track with your doctor visits. There is no better treatment than prevention; it could save your life.