February isn’t just about Valentine’s Day ... it’s also American Heart Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness about heart health. Heart disease remains a leading cause of death in the United States, yet many cases are preventable through lifestyle choices, early detection, and education. American Heart Month serves as a reminder to check in with our hearts and learn the warning signs of cardiovascular disease.

It is important to speak with your healthcare provider about your risk for heart disease. Heritage Valley’s Heart & Vascular Center includes a team of expert physicians who work with your primary care physician to help identify, manage and treat heart and vascular issues.

Click here for more information about Heritage Valley’s Heart & Vascular Center.

As part of our Heart & Vascular Center, we are fortunate to have skilled Electrophysiologists. Electrophysiology is the study of how electrical signals work in living cells and tissues. In simple terms, it looks at how tiny electrical currents help nerves, muscles, and the heart send messages, move, and keep the body functioning. Our Electrophysiologists focus on the heart’s electrical system to diagnose and treat heart rhythm disorders, or arrhythmias, when those electrical signals don’t work properly.

At the Heart & Vascular Center, we offer many types of procedures to treat heart rhythm disorders, including:

• Atrial Fibrillation Ablation (A minimally-invasive, catheter-based form of Therapeutic Ablation that uses hot or cold energy to create scars in heart tissue where the arrhythmia is occurring. It is more targeted than Therapeutic Ablation, because AFib is a complex rhythm problem, rather than a single electrical glitch.)
• Hybrid Ablation (A minimally-invasive treatment that combines both surgical and catheter-based techniques to block abnormal electrical signals and restore normal heart rhythm)
• Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (A small, battery-powered device implanted under the skin, usually near the left collarbone, to monitor and treat dangerous, life-threatening heart rhythms with shocks or pacing)
• Insertable Cardiac Monitor (A small implantable device that continuously monitors and records heart rhythms, without delivering treatment)
• Permanent Pacemaker (A small, battery-powered device surgically implanted under the skin, usually near the collarbone, to regulate a slow or irregular heartbeat)
• Pulsed Field Ablation (An innovative minimally-invasive technology that uses pulsed electric fields to treat atrial fibrillation, or AFib)
• Therapeutic Ablation (A minimally invasive procedure that uses a catheter and advanced mapping tools to deliver hot or cold energy to destroy or scar the affected tissue causing the abnormal signals)
• Watchman FLX Technology (An implant designed to keep harmful blood clots from entering the blood stream, potentially causing a stroke, by permanently closing off an area of the heart called the Left Atrial Appendage)

Listed below are the Electrophysiologists of the Heart & Vascular Center, with office locations in Beaver and Leetsdale. Please call 724-773-4502 to reach these physician offices.

Maninder Bedi, MD is a board certified Electrophysiologist and graduated from Andhra Medical College, King George Hospital in India. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Western Reserve Care System in Youngstown, Ohio. He fulfilled his Cardiology and Electrophysiology fellowships at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Dr. Bedi is a member of the American College of Physicians, American Medical Association, Ohio State Medical Association, Pennsylvania Medical Society, American College of Cardiology, Heart Failure Society of America and the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation.  Dr. Bedi sees patients at the Beaver and Leetsdale Heart and Vascular locations. 

Marco G. Cavagna, MD, PhD graduated from Columbia College in New York with a Bachelor of Arts in Biochemistry, and earned both his PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and his Medical Degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He completed his Medical Residency at the University of Virginia Health System; a Fellowship in Cardiology at Georgetown University Hospital-Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC; and a Fellowship in Electrophysiology at the George Washington University Hospital in Washington, DC. Dr. Cavagna is board certified in Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology, Nuclear Cardiology, Cardiovascular Disease and Internal Medicine; and is a member of the American College of Cardiology. Dr. Cavagna’s specialties include cardiac device implantation, including pacemakers, defibrillators, biventricular devices and loop recorders; and invasive electrophysiological testing, including 3D mapping, ablation, ventricular and supraventricular tachycardia and atrial fibrillation. He is fluent in Italian. Dr. Cavagna sees patients at the Beaver and Leetsdale Heart and Vascular Center locations.

Christopher Kolibash, MD is board certified in Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Disease and Cardiac Electrophysiology. He is a graduate of West Virginia University School of Medicine. He completed his Internal Medicine internship at The Ohio State Medical Center in Columbus, OH and his residency at Allegheny General Hospital. His Cardiovascular Fellowship was completed at The University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Dr. Kolibash fulfilled his Electrophysiology Fellowship at Aurora HealthCare in Milwaukee, WI. He has been practicing Electrophysiology since 2013. Dr. Kolibash sees patients at the Beaver and Leetsdale Heart and Vascular locations.

Glen Miske, DO is board certified in Cardiovascular Disease and Cardiac Electrophysiology. He is a graduate of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed his Internal Medicine internship at St. Francis Medical Center and his residency at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. His Cardiology Fellowship was completed at Allegheny General Hospital and his Electrophysiology Fellowship at Lankenau Hospital in Wynnewood, PA. Dr. Miske is a member of the American College of Physicians, American Medical Association, American College of Cardiology, Heart Failure Society of America and the American Heart Association. Dr. Miski sees patients at the Beaver and Leetsdale Heart and Vascular locations.

Virginia Singla, MD earned her medical degree from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Chemistry from Duke University in North Carolina, and her Master of Science degree in Clinical Research from the University of Virginia. Prior to joining the HVMG Heart & Vascular Center, Dr. Singla was employed by UPMC Health System as a Cardiac Electrophysiologist. Dr. Singla is Board Certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology; the American Board of Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Medicine; the National Board of Echocardiography, Adult Echocardiography; and the American Board of Internal Medicine, Internal Medicine. She serves on various Advisory Boards, and has been published in numerous periodicals. Dr. Singla sees patients at the Beaver and Leetsdale Heart and Vascular locations.

The Beaver County Chamber of Commerce Speaker Series presents an upcoming session focused on healthcare. Norm Mitry, President & Chief Executive Officer, and Thomas Pangburn, MD, Vice President & Chief Medical Officer, of Heritage Valley Health System will be featured in the session, which will take place on Thursday, February 19, from 5 – 7 pm at The Club at Shadow Lakes in Aliquippa. The cost is $60 per person, which includes hors d’oeuvres and two drink tickets. The session will provide an opportunity for business and community leaders to learn about the opportunities and challenges shaping care delivery across Beaver County. For additional details or to register, please click here to visit the Beaver County Chamber of Commerce website.