Residents Receive World-Class Heart and Vascular Services in Central Pennsylvania
By: Patt Keith
Experts at the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute at UPMC Altoona offer a full range of services for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and management of heart and vascular disease.
“Becoming part of the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute is a step we’ve been working toward since our affiliation with UPMC, and we are proud our local programs have met all of the requirements and standards to join this nationally-recognized group,” said Jerry Murray, president of UPMC Altoona and UPMC Bedford Memorial. “The advancements in care are a significant benefit and will now be available to patients here at home that we are pleased to bring to our community.”
Dr. Arthur DeMarsico serves as medical director of heart and vascular services and surgical services at UPMC Altoona, and has been a member of the community since 2001.
Dr. Arthur DeMarsico
“I have always pushed the technical envelope during my career,” DeMarsico said. “Fortunately, I joined a robust practice when I relocated here and I augmented the service line with my specialty training in state-of-the-art vascular and endovascular procedures.”
Vascular surgery services at UPMC Altoona include:
Open and endovascular surgery of abdominal aortic aneurysms.
Endovascular repair of thoracic-aortic aneurysms.
Percutaneous intervention on all peripheral arterial bleeds, including atherectomy, angioplasty, stenting and drug elution technology.
Inferior vena cava filter placement and retrieval.
Traumatic vascular injury management.
Catheter-directed treatment for acute deep venous thrombosis, varicose veins, chronic venous insufficiency and thrombophlebitis.
Laser and radiofrequency ablation for venous disorders.
Dialysis access.
“The UPMC vascular service, under the leadership of Dr. Michel Makaroun, had always been a resource for me prior to our integration,” DeMarsico said. “It was a natural fit when I was brought into the division as an employed physician. I have wonderful, gifted colleagues to exchange information with, and it always helps me remain on the forefront of evidenced-based care. Our group contains several leaders in vascular surgery that participate as primary investigators of numerous clinical trials. So, cutting-edge treatments will be seamlessly available to our community.”
