The UAB Cardiovascular Institute (CVI) is proud to be consistently recognized as one of the top programs in the country. Learn more about our most recent national and regional honors listed below.

The UAB Sports Medicine Cardiology Clinic helps young athletes with heart (cardiac) problems return to the playing field quickly and safely—including patients affected by COVID-19. Located at UAB Hospital-Highlands, the highly specialized clinic focuses on young athletes who need cardiac care along with sports medicine treatment. Because COVID-19 can sometimes lead to serious heart conditions, we recommend a medical evaluation for all young athletes who have had COVID-19 with symptoms.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Cardiovascular Institute has been awarded the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for Ventricular Assist Device Destination Therapy program for the seventh time. Ventricular assist devices, or VADs, are implanted mechanical pumps that support heart function and blood flow in patients who have weakened hearts.

Many people with high blood pressure (hypertension) don't know they have it. It causes damage slowly over a long period of time, often without noticeable symptoms, and it puts you at greater risks for developing life-changing and life-threatening medical conditions.

After having three open-heart surgeries, six cardiac catheterizations, five blood clots and two valve replacements all by the age of 13, Seth Wharton has overcome many obstacles and celebrated multiple achievements in his life. Now at the age of 44, Wharton has a new achievement under his belt — a Guinness World Record.

“Life over limb” is not a phrase Amanda Pullen-Hendrix ever thought she would hear, especially not on her 29th birthday. But on July 12, 2020, what she at first believed was an asthma attack turned out to be a life-threatening stroke and multiple blood clots.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Cardiovascular Institute has received two awards from the American Heart Association. UAB Hospital’s Heart Failure program won the Get With The Guidelines® - Heart Failure Gold with Honor Roll Quality Achievement Award for its commitment to quality management of heart failure in patients, and UAB Hospital’s STEMI program won the Mission: Lifeline STEMI Receiving Center Silver Plus award for its implementation of quality care for severe heart attack patients.  

This month, Adam Beck, M.D., director of the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy, performed the first procedure in the Southeast using a new light-based, visualization technology called Fiber Optic RealShape, or FORS.

When it comes to celebrating the holidays, Santa Claus is one of the leading experts. Good old St. Nick gets a lot right this time of the year, as he keeps up with the demands of delivering toys to children around the world. He gets lots of activity, has a supportive spouse, spends time with animals, and engages in positive thinking – all of which are wonderful stress-relievers during the holidays.

UAB Cardiovascular Institute electrophysiologists completed the first commercial procedure in the United States using first-of-its-kind ablation technology to treat patients with atrial fibrillation. The new technology, the Medtronic DiamondTemp™ Ablation system, is the first FDA-approved, temperature-controlled, irrigated radiofrequency ablation system with diamonds currently available to deliver ablations. 

Gregory Chapman, M.D., a professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Division of Cardiovascular Disease and cardiologist at the UAB Cardiovascular Institute, provides an insider’s perspective on the field of cardiovascular medicine in his new book “A Strong & Steady Pulse: Stories from a Cardiologist.”

The UAB Medicine Division of Vascular Surgery & Endovascular Therapy received the highest possible rating in the Vascular Quality Initiative® (VQI) awards program. The rating is reserved for medical centers that successfully participate in the VQI, which is a nationwide effort to improve cardiovascular care.