UK HealthCare Cardiology Services Expand in Frankfort
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 13, 2020) — In a recent expansion of services offered to patients across the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Dr. Andrew Leventhal, medical director of the Adult Congenital Heart Disease program and a structural heart cardiologist with the University of Kentucky’s Gill Heart & Vascular Institute, started an outreach clinic in Frankfort.
Twice a month, Leventhal offers outpatient care for patients who need adult congenital heart disease and structural heart services at Frankfort Regional Medical Center (FRMC). This work is in addition to FRMC’s already robust cardiology services that are provided by Gill Heart cardiologists.
“I am very excited to be a part of the Frankfort and Gill Heart collaboration and bring subspecialty cardiology to this region,” Leventhal said. “Our primary goal is to keep patients in their own community while providing great care.”
Leventhal is one of a few board-certified, adult congenital heart disease cardiologists in Kentucky. He treats patients with mild to complex congenital heart disease including bicuspid aortic valve, Tetralogy of Fallot, atrial septal defect (ASD), and patent foramen ovale (PFO). As a member of the structural heart team, he also specializes in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR); Watchman, a procedure that reduces the risk of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation who are intolerant to anticoagulation therapy; and Mitraclip, a procedure to repair the mitral valve.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Kentucky. UK Gill Heart & Vascular Institute is at the forefront of the battle against heart disease and stroke in Kentucky. Our goal is to provide every patient with exceptionally compassionate care in the safest and most appropriate manner possible based on the best evidence and the latest technological advances.
As part of these measures, UKHC’s Gill Heart & Vascular Institute works with a large number of affiliate network hospitals to enhance access to high-quality cardiovascular care and to provide the right care in the right place at the right time. The Affiliate Network includes 18 hospitals and 10 outreach locations, including at FRMC, which joined the network in 2018.
“My line of work is particularly rewarding because there are so many new therapies available to patients with congenital heart defects and structural heart conditions,” Leventhal said. “I can see a patient in the clinic and perform a procedure in our catheterization (cath) lab, which allows patients to go home the next day. This is much more convenient than referring them for open-heart surgery, which can take months to recover.”
Leventhal treats patients on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month from 1:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. at 270 Kings Daughters Drive, Suite 203 in Frankfort. For appointments, call 859-218-6711 or 859-218-6714.
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