General Cardiology

U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals for heart & vascular

Nationally Recognized by U.S. News & World Report

UT Southwestern Medical Center is recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of the nation's top 25 hospitals for heart and vascular surgery.

Expert Care Across the Spectrum of Heart Conditions

UT Southwestern Medical Center’s general cardiologists comprehensively evaluate and treat patients with known or suspected heart disease.

Our general cardiologists are experts in all aspects of modern cardiology. They are part of a large team and work closely with their colleagues in every cardiology subspecialty to deliver unsurpassed care across the spectrum of heart conditions.

Who Should See a General Cardiologist?

Any patient who has a prior or family history of heart disease or who is experiencing cardiac symptoms can benefit from seeing a general cardiologist. Symptoms include:

Chest discomfort
Shortness of breath
Swelling in legs
Abnormally fast or slow heartbeat
Dizziness or fainting
High Cholesterol

What Conditions Do General Cardiologists Treat?

General cardiologists are also an excellent resource for ongoing care for patients who have experienced heart problems in the past, who may still need a definitive diagnosis, or those who need or want continued monitoring of their health.
General cardiologists can help with:

Follow-up after heart bypass, coronary stent, or heart attack
Arrhythmia oversight
Cholesterol and blood pressure management
Cardiology care after emergency room discharge
Early-stage heart failure

Because of their comprehensive knowledge, general cardiologists can also refer patients for sub-specialized cardiac care, while still providing diagnoses and treatments for many common conditions.

Sub-specialized Cardiac Care at UT Southwestern

Our board-certified cardiac sub-specialties include:

Electrophysiology
Heart failure
Interventional cardiology
Valve disorders
Resistant or difficult to treat hypertension
Structural problems
Genetic conditions
Cardiac rehabilitation

David Aguilar, M.D.

David Aguilar, M.D., specializes in general cardiology, cardiovascular disease prevention, and cardiometabolic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and obesity. He is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in cardiovascular diseases and a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association. Dr. Aguilar also serves on the editorial boards of American Heart Journal, Cardiovascular Drugs and Therapy, Circulation, and Diabetes Care.

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Rafic Berbarie, M.D.

Rafic Berbarie, M.D., specializes in all areas of general cardiology, including coronary artery disease, cardiac symptom evaluation, and arrhythmias. He has particular expertise in cardiac risk factor management, noninvasive cardiac evaluation of chest pain, and echocardiographic evaluation of valvular heart disease. He also has a love for medical teaching, for which he has received numerous honors.

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Neena Passi, M.D.

Fellowship trained in cardiovascular disease, cardio-oncology, and multimodality cardiovascular imaging, Neena Passi, M.D., is focused primarily on preventive health care, especially the prevention of heart disease in women and the prevention of cardiotoxicity in patients undergoing active chemo/radiation therapies. Board certified in internal medicine, she joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2021

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Collaborative Environment

In addition to our vast resources and expertise in cardiology, doctors in the UT Southwestern Health System work closely together and are connected via a patient’s single electronic medical record that contains the patient's entire health history, including tests, imaging, visit notes, OR records, and more.

That patient information is available to our entire team, so our general cardiologists can ensure smooth access to whatever subspecialty care is needed – quickly and efficiently.