Texas hospital develops center for treatment of heart rhythm disorders
St. David’s HealthCare, along with Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia, has developed the Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute (TCAI) at St. David’s Medical Center in Austin.
TCAI is an international treatment, training and research center specializing in heart rhythm disorders.
Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia, an Austin-based cardiac electrophysiology group that is a division of Texas Cardiovascular Consultants and a private practice electrophysiology group, recruited and hired cardiac electrophysiologist Andrea Natale, MD, FACC, as a partner in the practice. Natale will serve as TCAI’s executive medical director, and brings more than 20 years of experience in cardiovascular disease to the institute
Natale performs and pioneered a specialized procedure in which catheters are placed in the heart and radio frequency energy is delivered to electrically disconnect the area that initiates the abnormal heart rhythm—atrial fibrillation. This highly complicated technique requires precise catheter control.
In addition to Natale, the team of electrophysiologists with the Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia and TCAI includes:
- Shane M. Bailey, MD;
- Robert C. Canby, MD, FACC;
- Rodney P. Horton, MD;
- G. Joseph Gallinghouse, MD;
- Larry D. Price, DO;
- Javier E. Sanchez, MD; and
- Jason D. Zagrodzky, MD.
“Recruiting renowned researchers and physicians to Texas, like Dr. Natale, spurs further growth of the state’s healthcare industry and contributes to our overall competitiveness in the global marketplace,” Texas Governor Rick Perry said.
Atrial fibrillation is found in roughly 2.2 million Americans.