CardioVascular Institute at BIDHC-Lexington 

Cardio-Oncology Services

Cancer treatment can have both short- and long-term effects on the heart. Cardiotoxicity — damage to the heart caused by cancer therapies — can sometimes become more life-threatening than the cancer itself.

Aarti Asnani, MD, Director of Cardio-Oncology, sees patients at a monthly clinic at Beth Israel Deaconess HealthCare-Lexington. Email Cardio-Oncology for more information.

The most common cancers we help treat include:

• Breast cancer
• Lymphoma (including Hodgkin's disease)
• Gastrointestinal cancers
• Certain types of leukemia

Our team is also active in world class basic, translational and clinical research in cardio-oncology.

An echocardiogram is a medical test that produces detailed images of your beating heart. Using ultrasound technology, a transthoracic echocardiogram allows healthcare providers to see the walls, chambers and valves within your heart, as well as blood flow within your heart. The test is not invasive and does not use any radiation or require any sedation.

The CVI's Echocardiography Laboratory is fully accredited by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission of Echocardiography Laboratories (ICAEL), and all our our interpreting physicians have passed the American Board of Echocardiography Special Competency in Echocardiography examination.

Exercise stress tests are used to challenge the heart and can help determine if there are any significant blockages and can also help to identify irregular heart rhythms. They can also help determine the heart’s functional capacity—how well it is working.

During the test, the patient walks on a treadmill so that the heart works progressively harder while the patient is closely observed for symptoms of chest discomfort or fatigue. At the same time, an electrocardiogram (ECG) records the heart’s electrical rhythms and blood pressure is measured. Abnormalities in blood pressure, heart rate, ECG measures or worsening physical symptoms could indicate a problem.

Read more about exercise stress tests.

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center's Cardiovascular Institute offers a full range of preventative, diagnostic and non-invasive cardiac services, as well as a number of programs designed to manage the cardiac disease of specific patient populations.

In addition to the services we offer in Lexington, the CVI provides extensive outpatient services at our main Boston campus. Among its targeted programs, the Advanced Heart Failure Clinic helps patients manage their conditions through education, medical regimen optimization, and close follow-up. The clinic offers the newest diagnostic and therapeutic modalities, including cardiac MRI, novel drugs and assist devices, and an outpatient Nesiritide infusion clinic.

On the inpatient side, available therapies include implantation of devices such as biventricular pacers, performed by electrophysiologists; surgical implantation of ventricular assist devices; and access to transplantation, if necessary.

Learn more about the CardioVascular Institute at BIDMC.