Keeping Your Heart Healthy

Cardiology at Corona Regional Medical Center located in Corona, California

Corona Regional is now approved and licensed as a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) facility.

About 610,000 Americans die from heart disease every year, making it the leading cause of death for both men and women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Detecting cardiovascular problems early and learning how to keep your heart healthy can help protect you from a wide range of heart diseases.

We Can Help You Care for Your Heart

The Cardiology Department at Corona Regional offers the following cardiovascular services:

Percutaneous coronary intervention

Corona Regional Medical Center is approved and licensed as a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) facility by the California Department of Health for specialized cardiac care.

When every moment counts, Interventional Cardiologists at Corona Regional can use PCI to rapidly intervene and treat patients experiencing a heart attack. To open a blood vessel narrowed by plaque buildup (atherosclerosis) or occluded by a clot (myocardial infarction) the Interventional Cardiologist can perform a balloon angioplasty and stent placement. It’s a nonsurgical, often lifesaving, procedure. 

Meet our Medical Director

Patrick Hu, MDPatrick Hu, MD, PhD
Dr. Hu is the Medical Director of the Cardiology Department at CRMC. He is an interventional cardiologist with board certifications in cardiovascular disease, interventional cardiology and internal medicine.

Electrophysiology studies lab/catheterization lab

Cardiologists can test and treat your heart for health issues at the Catheterization Lab. Doctors perform diagnostic cardiac catheterization procedures using a long, thin tube called a catheter. Your doctor inserts the catheter into a blood vessel to reach your heart. Once the catheter is positioned, your doctor can perform certain procedures to measure the strength and wellness of your heart.

Corona Regional also offers electrophysiology (EP) studies in the cath lab. EP studies record the heart’s electrical activity using an electrode catheter. In addition, doctors are able to implant pacemakers, implantable loop recorders and implantable cardioverter defibrillator devices at the cath lab.

Ablation with 3D mapping

Ablation is a treatment option for an arrhythmia, also known as an irregular heartbeat. Arrhythmias are caused by heart disease, aging, a birth defect or high blood pressure. Doctors perform ablation procedures to try and correct an irregular heartbeat using radiofrequency energy delivered by a catheter. This targeted energy can destroy a small area of heart tissue and cure arrhythmias.

With 3D mapping, doctors create a picture of your anatomy to pinpoint the area of the arrhythmia. The 3D map lets your doctor navigate the heart without using X-rays, allowing for quicker procedure times and limiting your exposure to radiation.

Find a doctor

To find a doctor who's right for you, call our FREE Direct Doctors Plus® physician referral service at 800-882-4362, or request a referral online.

Know the Symptoms of a Possible Heart Attack

Symptoms of a heart attack may include:

  • Uncomfortable chest pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain lasting more than a few minutes, or that goes away and returns
  • Shortness of breath, with/without chest discomfort
  • Pain or discomfort in one/both arms and back
  • Light-headedness and/or pain in neck or jaw
  • Loss of consciousness

If you recognize the signs of a possible heart attack, call 9-1-1 and get to the closest emergency room immediately. The sooner you act, the sooner you can find proper help.

Forms of Cardiovascular Disease

The most prevalent forms of cardiovascular disease are:

  • Coronary artery disease — The most common type of cardiovascular disease, coronary artery disease occurs when a waxy substance called plaque builds up within a person's blood vessels and decreases blood flow to the heart. That can lead to chest pain or eventually a heart attack.
  • Heart attack or heart failure — Heart attack takes place when the flow of oxygen-containing blood to the heart is blocked. When the heart muscle cannot get oxygen, sections of the muscle begin to die if blood flow is not restored quickly.
  • Arrhythmia — Also known as "irregular heartbeat," arrhythmia is any change to the electrical impulses that control heartbeat. The heart may beat too fast, too slow or erratically, preventing it from effectively pumping blood. That, in turn, can lead to damage to the lungs, brain and other organs.
  • Heart valve conditions — Four valves help control the flow of blood through your heart as it circulates blood throughout your body. There are a number of conditions — including stenosis, mitral valve prolapse and regurgitant valves — that can affect your heart. While many of those conditions can be the result of aging, others can be causes by illnesses or disease, such as rheumatic fever.