Cardiology
At Liberty Hospital, we have everything you need for expert heart care close to home. Your cardiology provider will manage every step of your heart care journey.
Liberty Cardiovascular Specialists provide comprehensive cardiac care, including on-site diagnostics in our accredited echocardiography, nuclear medicine and vascular labs.
Click on a photo to learn more about our specialists
Reviewed 11/8/2021
Heart failure warning signs: Be alert to signs of a weakened heart
Heart failure means your heart isn't pumping as well as it should be. The problem develops gradually, so the signs can be easily missed. If you have more than one of the warning signs listed below, you should talk with your doctor.
Shortness of breath
How to spot it: You get breathless during activity or at rest. You prop your upper body on pillows when lying down so that you can breathe more easily.
Why it happens: Your heart isn't pumping well enough to keep up with the supply of blood returning from the lungs. That makes fluid leak into your lungs.
Coughing or wheezing
How to spot it: You have a cough that doesn't go away and produces white or blood-tinged mucus.
Why it happens: Your heart isn't pumping well enough to keep up with the supply of blood returning from the lungs. That makes fluid leak into your lungs.
Confusion
How to spot it: You have some memory loss and feel disoriented. (Because your thinking is impaired, someone else might notice this before you do.)
Why it happens: Retaining water can change the level of substances—like sodium—in your blood. Sodium is important for the nervous system, and so altered levels can cause confusion.
Poor appetite
How to spot it: You feel full or nauseous.
Why it happens: Your digestive system isn't getting enough blood to do its job.
Fast heart rate
How to spot it: You feel like your heart is racing or beating hard.
Why it happens: Your heart is trying to make up for poor blood flow by beating faster.
Fatigue
How to spot it: You feel tired or lightheaded much of the time, with little energy for routine activities.
Why it happens: Your heart isn't pumping enough blood to supply your whole body, so your body takes blood away from less vital areas—like leg muscles—to send to the heart and brain.
Fluid buildup (edema)
How to spot it: You have swelling in your feet, ankles, legs, or abdomen. You may have gained weight.
Why it happens: The blood leaving your heart has slowed down, and so blood returning to your heart gets backed up, causing fluid to build up in your tissues.
Whether you have a heart problem or not, it's important to learn what you can do to help keep your heart healthy.
Sources: American Heart Association; National Institutes of Health
- Bi-ventricular implantable cardiac defibrillators
- Coronary angioplasty
- Carotid duplex Doppler
- Diagnostic cardiac catheterization
- Echocardiography
- Exercise and pharmacological stress echocardiography
- General cardiology
- Implantable cardiac defibrillators
- Nuclear cardiology testing, including prone position examinations
- Optical coherence tomography (near-infrared light), used to visualize the vessel walls of the coronary arteries
- Pacemaker implantation
- Peripheral angioplasty
- Peripheral arterial, renal and venous studies
- Preventive cardiology
- Radial artery approach to catheterization and intervention
- Stent placement
- Tilt table testing
- Transcranial Doppler
- Transesophageal echocardiography
What is a calcium score screening?
A calcium/coronary score screening is a CT scan of the heart that detects calcium build-up in the coronary arteries. It is available for $60, and no insurance is needed. Learn more.
Electrophysiologist now available
Ravi K. Yarlagadda, MD, FACC, FHRS, specializes in heart rhythm disorders and electrophysiology – tests of the heart’s electrical system. He now is available for appointments through Liberty Cardiovascular Specialists. In partnership with Olathe Health, Dr. Yarlagadda now provides services closer to home for cardiac patients in the Northland. For more information, call Liberty Cardiovascular Specialists at 816.407.5430. A physician’s order is needed to schedule an appointment.