What is Cardio-Oncology? 

The Baptist Health Louisville Cardio-Oncology Program is one of the few programs in the country dedicated to collaborative cardiac care for patients with cancer. We bring together specialists in cardiology, oncology and radiation oncology to treat and protect your heart at every stage of treatment and survivorship with multi-disciplinary patient centered care.

What Does the Cardio-Oncology Team Do for You?

Some cancer treatments, including radiation and chemotherapy, can cause lasting damage to the heart and circulation. Our Cardio-Oncology team assesses your personal risk factors to anticipate, prevent or minimize heart disease/cardio toxicity that can result from chemotherapy and radiation.

This may cause cardiac conditions such as:

• Arrhythmias - abnormal heart beats
• Coronary Artery Disease - narrowing of the arteries that supply blood to the heart
• Damage to the valves of the heart
• Heart Failure - deterioration of the heart muscle and its ability to pump
• Hypertension/Hypotension - increase or decrease of the blood pressure out of normal range
• Pericarditis - inflammation of the sac surrounding the heart

Our cardio-oncologists use an innovative approach to promptly evaluate cancer patients and reduce the risk of complications related to heart disease.  We collaborate closely with your oncologist to limit interruptions of cancer treatment while carefully protecting your heart during and after your treatment.

Cardio-Oncology Patient-Centered Treatment

To develop an individualized plan of care, we will complete a cardio-vascular disease assessment. This will include reviewing your medical history, risk factors and a physical exam.  The plan may also include heart imaging (ultrasound, echocardiogram), heart testing (stress test), and/or biomarkers (blood work) performed intermittently to determine of the cancer treatment has effected your heart. During this process we will coordinate with you and your healthcare providers to plan for follow-ups to closely monitor your heart health during and after treatment.

High-risk factors can include:

• High blood pressure
• Elevated cholesterol
• Overweight
• Smoking history
• Heart rhythm abnormalities
• Coronary artery disease / heart attack
• Heart valve complications
• Family history of heart disease
• Diabetes
• Prior cancer therapy
• Carotid disease