Inova providers volunteer at community events to address healthcare disparities in Fairfax County

Inova Schar Heart and Vascular addresses healthcare disparities in Fairfax County by educating underserved populations about important health information in line with the county’s community health improvement plan. Inova team members, including nurses, advanced practice providers, physicians, cardiac rehabilitation specialists and administrative staff, volunteer their weekends to provide free healthcare services and screenings at community…

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Inova among first hospitals to introduce leading-edge treatment for blocked or narrowed coronary artery stents

Cardiac catheterization and placement of cardiac stents is a highly effective, common procedure to treat blockage of the coronary artery. It uses a tiny, metal frame tube to reopen the artery and restore blood flow to the heart. Even though it is performed fairly frequently, the procedure isn’t without risk. In roughly 10% of cases…

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What we do matters – a story of the generational impact of caring for patients

Cleveland Francis, MD, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advisor at Inova Schar Heart and Vascular. Growing up in small-town West Virginia, Jessica Flanagan heard stories about a wonderful doctor. During the late 1970s, an Alexandria cardiologist had treated her late mother, Susan Flanagan, before she passed away from a congenital heart condition. Jessica was only 3…

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Dr. Garima Sharma receives supplemental AHA grant to study social determinants of the risk of high blood pressure in women of reproductive age

Garima Sharma, MD, Director of Inova’s Cardio-Obstetrics and Cardiovascular Women’s Health program, was recently awarded a supplemental grant from the American Heart Association (AHA) to continue work on the project, The Social Determinants of the Risk of Hypertension in Women of Reproductive Age (SAFE HEART). Dr. Sharma is a co-principal investigator of the study along…

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Inova introduces a groundbreaking procedure to control resistant high blood pressure

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 50% of adults in America suffer from high blood pressure. Uncontrolled, this condition can lead to severe health complications such as heart disease, stroke, heart failure, kidney disease and dementia. On April 25, Inova Schar Heart and Vascular unveiled a revolutionary, minimally invasive procedure…

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Inova Schar Heart and Vascular receives $1.4 million pediatric heart transplant research grant

Fairfax, VA — A research team at Inova Schar Heart and Vascular recently received nearly $1.4 million to develop a new blood test that doctors can use to optimize the immunosuppression medications needed after pediatric heart transplant. The team will be led by Palak Shah, MD, MS, Director of the Inova Cardiovascular Genomics Center and…

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7 ways to lower blood pressure naturally

Jason Bonomo, MD, PhD, is a cardiologist at Inova Schar Heart and Vascular. Dr. Bonomo is board-certified in cardiovascular disease, echocardiography and internal medicine and has a PhD in molecular medicine and translational science. He practices at the Inova Cardiology – Fairfax and Ballston offices and cares for patients at Inova Fairfax and Inova Fair…

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Inova plays a key role in trial of innovative treatment for tricuspid valve regurgitation that is now approved by the FDA

Update as of April 24, 2024: Inova’s structural heart team has now completed the first case in the Washington, DC region since the FDA approved a new device to treat tricuspid regurgitation (TR). Inova Schar Heart and Vascular’s Structural Heart/Valve Disease Program was among the top enrollers in the TRILUMINATE™ Pivotal Trial demonstrating the safety…

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Inova Schar Heart and Vascular: a premier destination for the highest quality cardiovascular care

Christopher M. O’Connor, MD, MACC, is the President of Inova Schar Heart and Vascular. He is an internationally renowned authority on heart failure and practices at the Inova Cardiology – Fairfax office. Heart disease remains the number one cause of death in the nation and in Virginia. The toll is particularly high in those over…

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