Hudson Valley Health

For 23 years Advanced Cardiovascular Care of the Hudson Valley has provided state-of-the-art care for its patients. Led by cardiologists David B. Southren, Lance I. Kovar and Duane A. Bryan, the practice follows a philosophy of idealism and purism.
“We all have unique perspectives when it comes to expertise and focus,” said Dr. Southren, his being cardiology and lipidology, a relatively new area of distinction that deals with life extension and metabolism.
Because lipidology looks at the development of arterial disease, including the causes of atherosclerosis, or the build-up of plaque on artery walls, and cardiovascular disease, it is a prime factor for the early detection of heart disease before symptoms occur, said Dr. Southren, a diplomat with the American Board of Cardiology and the National Lipid Association making him the Hudson Valley’s only board certified lipidologist.
Dr. Kovar, a board certified cardiologist and interventional cardiologist, is an expert at catheterization procedures, angioplasty and cardiac stent placement. Dr. Bryan, also a board certified cardiologist, is a nuclear cardiologist as well, specializing in ultrasound imagery and nuclear diagnostic procedures.
The study and treatment of heart disease requires an integrated approach that goes beyond standard blood testing, said Dr. Southren, but also includes noninvasive diagnostic tools and tests. Among the practice’s diagnostic procedures are exercise and nuclear stress tests, echocardiography, peripheral ultrasound assessment, holter and event monitoring and pacemaker evaluation.
“Many times the approach to treating heart disease risks, as well as patients with heart problems, involves an interplay of diabetes management and other metabolic factors,” said Dr. Southren. “We often have to orchestrate the best approach that involves a close working relationship with other doctors.”
In addition to medical care, the doctors recognize a select approach to exercise and diet to prevent heart disease and optimize outcomes in individuals afflicted with heart disease. In keeping up with medical advances, Drs. Southren, Kovar and Bryan develop new expertise through medical literature, new medical technologies and medical seminars.
Patients often are referred to the practice by other physicians, although many seek attention on their own, as a means to detect and prevent heart disease.
Drs. Southren, Kovar and Bryan are on staff at New York hospitals, Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern and Nyack Hospital in Nyack, New York, plus Englewood Hospital and Medical Center in Englewood, New Jersey.
“We go beyond being reactive to disease,” said Dr. Southren. “We are proactive in finding the processes of disease at its inception.”