Heart-Brain Clinic

The Heart-Brain Clinic at UAB Medicine specializes in patients with neurological symptoms due to a stroke or certain cardiac conditions, such as a heart defect called a patent foramen ovale (PFO). The first of its kind in Alabama, the clinic brings together stroke neurologists and interventional cardiologists to provide one-stop appointments for patients. It targets those who’ve had an ischemic stroke – caused by a blocked blood vessel in the brain – or a transient ischemic attack (TIA), sometimes called a mini-stroke.

This level of multi-specialty care is especially important for patients born with a PFO, because in rare cases this hole in the heart can allow blood clots to escape from the heart into the brain and cause a stroke – especially among young people. Strokes caused by a PFO often can be prevented from happening again with a surgery to close the hole, but special expertise is needed to determine if a stroke or TIA was caused by the PFO.

This expertise is what sets the Heart-Brain Clinic apart. The team will work together to evaluate your case, recommend any additional tests that may be needed, and develop a personalized patient care plan for managing stroke or PFO.

To make an appointment with the clinic or for more information, please call 205-975-1888.

Resources

• UAB Division of Cardiovascular Disease
• UAB Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery
• UAB Division of Cerebrovascular Disease
• American Heart Association

Related Specialties

• Patent Foramen Ovale Closure
• Stroke
• Structural Heart & Valve Disease