Gates Vascular Institute

Cardiac Services

The dedicated heart specialists at Buffalo General Medical Center and the Gates Vascular Institute offer a full complement of advanced cardiac services to help patients regain their health to the greatest extent possible. Knowledgeable staffs will explain the treatment options available and provide advice throughout diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation.

The most state-of-the-art technology and innovative diagnostic and treatment options are utilized in the care of patients. The Gates Vascular Institute and Buffalo General Medical Center cardiac teams are actively involved in many national clinical trials and work tirelessly to discover new and better ways to treat the heart and bring those discoveries to patients.

In fact, Buffalo General Medical Center is the first and only facility in Western New York to perform a new, lifesaving option for cardiac patients who had previously been deemed inoperable.

Recently approved by the FDA, the transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a minimally invasive procedure in which an artificial aortic heart valve is attached to a wire frame and guided through the femoral artery by catheter to the heart. Once in place, the wire frame enlarges, which allows the new valve to pump the blood appropriately. To date, the TAVR procedure has reaped excellent outcomes and extended the lives of patients who had previously faced a very limited life expectancy.

Services include (but are not limited to) the following:

Cardiac Surgery Services

• Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery (whenever
   possible)
• Heart valve repair and replacement
• Internal cardioverter defibrillator placement
• Pacemaker and defibrillator implants
• Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) (on and 
   off pump) with endoscopic vein harvesting
• Transmyocardial laser revascularization
• Repair of adult congenital heart disease

Complex Cardiac Surgery

• Aortic dissection
• Excision of cardiac tumors
• Maze procedure and pulmonary vein isolation – for atrial fibrillation
• Multiple valves
• Septal myectomy for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
• Thoracic and thoracoabdominal aneurysm stents and repairs

Hybrid / Combined Cardiac Procedures

Carotid stent and heart valve/CABG surgery

• Coronary stent and heart valve surgery
• Epicardial ablation
• Left atrial appendage ligation
• Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR)

These following physicians perform these procedures:

CT Surgery Group
(716) 859-7600
Janerio Aldridge, MD
Hashmat Ashraf, MD
Gary Grosner, MD

Cardiac Services: Interventional Cardiology

Diagnostic coronary angiography

• Radial access >40%, significantly higher than national average
• FFR – Fractional Flow Reserve
• CFR – Coronary Flow Reserve

These following physicians perform these procedures:

Percutaneous Cardiac Interventions

• Coronary artery angioplasty & stenting
• Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)
• Coronary atherectomy
• Coronary rotoblation
• Percutaneous left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) in high risk patients
• Impella for acute heart failure

These following physicians perform these procedures:

Cardiac Electrophysiology

• Electrophysiology diagnostic studies (EPS)
• Cardioversion of arrythmias to normal heart rhythm
• Radiofrequency ablations for atrial fibrillationRadiofrequency ablation for SVT arrhythmias
• Radiofrequency ablation for VT
• Cardiac mapping for atrial/ventricular arrhythmiasImplantable cardioverter defibrillator placement
• Pacemaker insertion & lead changes – including biventricular pacemaker
• Loop recorder device implants
• Cryoablation

The following physicians perform these procedures:

Structural Heart interventions

• Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR)
• Atrial septal defect closure
• Ventricular septal defect closure
• Patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure
• Balloon aortic valvuloplasty
• Pericarditis mitral valve repair

The following cardiologist also perform these procedures:

General Physician, PC
William Morris, MD
Kishor V. Phadke, MD
(716) 859-7180

UB|MD Cardiology
Vijay Iyer, MD, Program Director
David M. Zlotnick, MD
(716) 859-1784

Other Vascular interventions

• Vascular stents
  • Renal
  • Iliac
  • Peripheral

The following physicians perform these procedures:

UB|MD Cardiology
David Zlotnick, MD
(716) 859-1784

Cardiac Services: Non-Invasive Departments

To schedule:

Cardiac Services: Heart and Lung Center

Scheduling for all clinics:
(716) 859-7280

Tilt table test
(716) 859-7280