Cardiovascular Services

Recognized as a premier provider of cardiovascular care in the San Francisco Bay Area, we offer a full spectrum of cardiovascular services that span both our Walnut Creek and Concord Medical Centers, with physicians located throughout Contra Costa, Alameda and Solano counties.

Our superior cardiovascular programs and expert medical staff have earned numerous awards, demonstrating our commitment to and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart disease. Both our Concord and Walnut Creek Medical Centers are designated as Contra Costa County STEMI Receiving Centers for severe heart attack patients.

To continue to provide patients with high-quality patient care and safety, we expanded our Concord Medical Center in 2010. The Hofmann Family Patient Care Tower houses 61 private cardiovascular patient rooms, a centralized Cardiovascuar Institute and an expanded emergency room. The Cardiovascular Institute also features five catheterization labs, 12 preoperative and recovery beds, a dedicated 12-bed cardiovascular intensive care unit, and 49 monitored telemetry beds. In addition to being a STEMI Receiving Center, our Walnut Creek Medical Center with three catheterization labs, is also a Comprehensive Stroke Center.

For information about cardiovascular services at our Concord and Walnut Creek Medical Centers, please call (925) 674-2233.

Meet our Team

Featured Procedures

Robot-Assisted Angioplasty Procedure

We are the first health system in Northern California to offer robotic-assisted angioplasty for opening blocked arteries in the heart and restoring blood flow.

This procedure combines the benefits of coronary angioplasty with the precision of robotics. In a robotic-assisted angioplasty procedure, live x-rays are used to help the interventional cardiologist track the position of guide wires and catheters in relation to the blockage in the heart. The robotic system allows the cardiologist to move a balloon to open the artery and place a stent, a millimeter at a time. The robot guides placement of instruments so precisely that less radiation is often needed, and sizing and placement of stents is improved.

Hybrid AF

Our hybrid Atrial Fibrillation (AF) program is a newer development which combines minimally-invasive epicardial radiofrequency ablation (ablation on the outside of the heart) with endocardial cryoablation, done directly within the heart’s chambers. This is used for patients who experience persistent AF following multiple previous ablations, or when the left atrium is severely enlarged. We feel this procedure is the most painless for our patients, with the shortest postoperative length of stay, and we are seeing a high success rate with our process.

Transcatheter Mitral Valve Repair (TMVR)

Transcatheter Mitral Valve Repair, or TMVR is the only approved alternative to Mitral Regurgitation (MR) surgery. It is a less-invasive treatment option for elderly patients, those with comorbidities, and other at-risk populations who are not candidates for open heart surgery. This non-invasive procedure has been shown to reduce MR, improve symptoms and reduce the number of recurrent hospitalizations for heart failure

During the procedure, a catheter containing the MitraClip® device is inserted via the femoral vein guide and guided through the venous system to the heart where it the MitraClip is positioned at the mitral valve. The MitraClip is opened up so that it grabs both mitral valve leaflets and eliminates regurgitation.

WATCHMAN™

Atrial fibrillation, the leading cause of stroke, is a condition where the upper chambers of your heart (atria) beat too fast and irregularly. This causes blood to pool and can form clots in part of your heart called the left atrial appendage (LAA). If a blood clot forms, it can travel to the brain and cause a stroke.

Drugs can cut the risk of blood clots that could lead to stroke in AFib. While warfarin is effective for many patients, long-term use is not well tolerated by some, due to a variety of reasons (i.e., risk of bleeding, food limits, or frequent blood draws).

The WATCHMAN device is a new alternative to blood-thinning drugs in patients with atrial fibrillation. It is placed inside the LAA of your heart to permanently close off this small pouch and keep harmful blood clots from entering your bloodstream. After the procedure, most patients are able to stop taking blood-thinning drugs.

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR)

For patients who are not able to have traditional open-heart surgery, a new procedure called transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is now available as a treatment option. Concord Medical Center is one of the original three hospitals in the Bay Area and less than 430 nationwide that is now performing TAVR procedures. In a TAVR procedure, the surgeon replaces the aortic valve in the heart using a catheter approach, thus eliminating the need for an open heart surgery. This remarkable new procedure provides the opportunity for a significant improvement in quality of life.

Our Programs

Cardiac Conditioning Program

Helps heart patients of any age recover, resume normal activities, and reduce the chance of further heart problems.

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Cardiac Rhythm Center

We bring together the finest cardiac doctors and staff to diagnose and treat heart rhythm disorders and arrhythmias.

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Cardiac Surgery

We've performed thousands of cardiac surgery procedures using the most advanced techniques.

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Chest Pain Centers

Rapid care for patients having a heart attack can significantly increase their survival.

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Heart Failure Program

Heart failure is a chronic condition that requires lifelong management. Explore your treatment options.

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Interventional Program

Our experienced professionals use leading-edge imaging equipment to examine and treat your heart and arteries.

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Non-Invasive Cardiology

We provide inpatient and outpatient evaluations including EKGs, stress testing, and echocardiograms.

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Videos

ABC7 News

John Muir Health Cardiologist, Dr. Andrew Dublin discusses the importance of seeking heart care without delay when symptoms are present.

Heart Disease Prevention

Dr. Richard Chang, interventional cardiologist at John Muir Health, shares his perspective about how to prevent heart disease - a question he hears often from his patients.

Symptoms of Heart Disease

Dr. Perkin Shiu, Co-Medical Director, Non-Invasive Cardiology, discusses symptoms of heart disease which should not be ignored. Watch this video to learn more about what to look for, and if needed, how to seek immediate care from a trusted cardiologist.

KTSF News

John Muir Health cardiologist practicing in Pleasanton, Dr. Cynthia Zhang, discusses women's heart health with KTSF.

Awards & Recognition

Healthgrades - Top 5 Cardiac Surgery Program in California (2023, 2024, 2025)

Healthgrades’ Cardiac Surgery specialty award recognizes hospitals with superior clinical outcomes in heart bypass surgery and heart valve surgery. This recognition is in addition to our Concord Medical Center also being recognized by Healthgrades as one of America's Top 50 Hospitals for Cardiac Surgery.

2024 Get With the Guidelines - Coronary Artery Disease - Gold Plus

Our Concord Medical Center has earned the 2024 Get With The Guidelines® - Coronary Artery Disease Gold Plus award, which indicates a commitment to ensuring heart patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, ultimately leading to more lives saved and reduced disability.

2023 Mission: Lifeline® - STEMI Receiving Center - Gold Plus and Gold

This recognition showcases hospitals that provide reperfusion support for STEMI’s 24 x 7. These hospitals coordinate with a network of referring hospitals and emergency medical services to provide guideline directed STEMI and non-ST-elevation acute myocardial Infarction (NSTEMI) care. Our Concord Medical Center earned the Gold Plus designation and our Walnut Creek Medical Center earned Gold.

STEMI Receiving Centers earn Gold recognition for achieving 75% or higher compliance on all Mission: Lifeline STEMI Receiving Center quality achievement measures and 85% or higher composite adherence to all Mission: Lifeline STEMI Receiving Center quality achievement indicators and 50% performance for “arrival at first hospital to PCI” in ≤120 minutes for transfer patients for at least two consecutive year interval to improve the quality of care for STEMI patients.

2024 Get with the Guidelines® - Heart Failure

Walnut Creek and Concord Medical Centers have earned the 2024 Get With The Guidelines® - Heart Failure Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award.

Hospitals receiving Get With The Guidelines® Gold Plus Achievement Award have reached an aggressive goal of treating patients to core standard levels of care as outlined by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association® for 2 consecutive calendar years or more. In addition, those hospitals have demonstrated compliance to an additional level of quality during the 24-month or greater period.

2022 Get with the Guidelines - Stroke

Walnut Creek and Concord Medical Centers have earned the 2022 Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award and also qualified for recognition on the Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll and Target: Stroke Elite Honor Roll. Walnut Creek Medical Center has also qualified for recognition on the Target: Stroke Advanced Therapy Honor Roll.

Hospitals receiving Get With The Guidelines® Gold Plus Achievement Award have reached an aggressive goal of treating patients with 85 percent or higher compliance to core standard levels of care as outlined by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association® for 2 consecutive calendar years. In addition, those hospitals have demonstrated 75 percent compliance to (four out of ten heart failure quality measures or four out of seven stroke quality measures) during the 12-month period.

Hospitals achieving Time to thrombolytic therapy ≤ 60 minutes in 85% or more of applicable acute ischemic stroke patients treated with IV tPA to improve quality of patient care and outcomes.

Blue Distinction Center Designation

Our Concord Medical Center has been designated as a Blue Distinction Center for Cardiac Care signifying that our program meets nationally established Selection Criteria by demonstrating expertise in the delivery of high quality, safe and effective cardiac care.

Cardiovascular Services