When Rob Hood, M.D., began practicing cardiology 30 years ago he could not have imagined that fitness would one day be measured on a device worn around his wrist.

After serving in an interim capacity, Walter Clair, M.D., MPH, associate professor of Medicine and medical director of Cardiac Electrophysiology, has been named executive medical director of the Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute (VHVI).

Ashish Shah, M.D., has joined Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute (VHVI) as director of Heart Transplant and Mechanical Circulatory Support.

For patients with heart failure, changes in pulmonary artery (PA) pressures are an early indication that their condition is worsening, even before they notice symptoms such as shortness of breath or weight gain.

The American College of Cardiology has recognized Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) for its commitment to and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients.

Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute now offers patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) an alternative treatment to reduce their risk of stroke, potentially avoiding the long-term use of blood thinners such as warfarin.

Two vastly different causes of heart failure, both of which can devastate a patient’s life, are being studied at Vanderbilt University Medical Center thanks, in part, to the generosity of a grateful patient whose own damaged heart was repaired at Vanderbilt more than five years ago.