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Piedmont Augusta Heart Failure Center

1348 Walton Way, Suite 6700, Augusta, GA 30901

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Monday - Friday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Saturday - Sunday Closed

Phone Number 706-774-7855

Fax Number 706-774-8620

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Advanced Heart Failure – Adding Life to Lives

Piedmont Augusta's Advanced Heart Failure Program is dedicated to supporting patients with advanced heart failure by providing expert care management by a multidisciplinary team led by specialized physicians who are board-certified in advanced heart failure and cardiac transplantation. The goal is to ensure each patient receives the best course of treatment to improve his or her quality of life and prevent unexpected rehospitalizations.

Services Offered

Remote Fluid MonitoringRemote monitoring now offers more timely recognition of worsening heart failure even before the onset of symptoms. This has significantly reduced hospital readmissions.
CardioMems™ Implantation: This battery-free sensor implanted in the pulmonary artery of heart failure patients measures a patient’s pulmonary artery pressures from home. This information helps the physicians proactively manage heart failure before patients have symptoms to avoid hospitalizations.
Left-Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD): This device supports the function of the left ventricle of the heart. The LVAD includes tubes to carry blood out of the heart and to the blood vessels. It has a power source and a control unit to monitor the device function. The device may be used to support the heart until it recovers, to support the heart while the patient waits for a heart transplant, or to help the heart work better if the patient is not eligible for a heart transplant. Since starting at Piedmont Augusta in 2017, Piedmont Augusta was the first and remains the only hospital in the region to offer this lifesaving procedure.
Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO): This technique helps to support critically ill patients by providing artificial heart and lung support. This has been very helpful in saving patients with severe flu and cardiogenic shock.

Meet our Staff

Shuchita Gupta, MD

Heart Failure and Transplantation Cardiology

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Heart Failure and Transplantation Cardiology

Office Number

706-774-7855

About

Dr. Gupta specializes in Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology at the Piedmont Augusta Hub. Her additional skills include Nuclear Cardiology, Echocardiography, TEE, Cardioversion, LVAD, and Cardiac Transplant Management. She is a member of the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplant (ISHLT), Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA), and the American College of Cardiology (ACC). Dr. Gupta offers treatment for conditions such as Congestive Heart Failure, Cardiogenic Shock, Cardiac Amyloidosis, Cardio-Oncology, Pulmonary Hypertension, Post-partum Cardiomyopathy, and all other Cardiovascular Diseases. Dr. Gupta is currently board certified in Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant. She manages patients with Left Ventricular Assist Devices (LVAD), Cardiomems®, and other implantable cardiac devices with remote heart failure monitoring capabilities. Dr. Gupta is a highly skilled medical practitioner who is very detail oriented and passionate about quality care.

In her spare time, Dr. Gupta enjoys reading, creating art, and traveling with her family.

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Naveed Akhtar, MD

Cardiology

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Cardiology

Office Number

706-774-7855

About

Dr. Akhtar specializes in Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology at Piedmont Augusta. His clinical interests include Cardiac MRI, Nuclear Cardiology, Echocardiography, and Right Heart Catheterizations. He is a member of the American College of Cardiology (ACC), The Medical Association of Georgia, and the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA). Dr. Akhtar offers treatment for conditions such as Congestive Heart Failure, Cardiogenic Shock, Cardiac Amyloidosis, Cardio-Oncology, Pulmonary Hypertension, Post-partum cardiomyopathy, and other Cardiovascular Diseases.

Dr. Akhtar has more than 15 years’ experience in general cardiology, and is currently board certified in Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant. He manages patients with Left Ventricular Assist Devices (LVAD), Cardiomems®, and other implantable cardiac devices with remote heart failure monitoring capabilities. Dr. Akhtar takes great care in providing high quality care and timely follow up for his patients.

In his spare time, Dr. Akhtar enjoys spending time with his family, and playing golf.

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Darshak H Karia, MD

Heart Failure and Transplantation Cardiology

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Heart Failure and Transplantation Cardiology

Office Number

706-774-7855

About

Dr. Karia is the founding Medical Director for Advanced Heart Failure and Mechanical Circulatory Support Programs at Piedmont Augusta. His expertise centers on innovative heart failure therapies. He is a respected thought leader and lectures globally on topics related to Advanced Heart Failure. In addition to taking care of Advanced Heart Failure, Cardiac Transplant, and LVAD patients, he performs echocardiograms, stress tests, and cardiac catheterizations. Dr. Karia is the Principal Investigator in many research studies and is published in many peer-reviewed publications. He serves on the editorial board of many prestigious journals.

Dr. Karia has over 17 years’ experience in Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology and is board certified in Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology, and Cardiovascular Medicine. He manages patients with Cardiac Transplants, Left Ventricular Assist Devices (LVAD), Cardiomems® and other implantable cardiac devices with remote heart failure monitoring capabilities. Beloved by his patients, Dr. Karia is an enthusiastic advocate for their care and is always willing to go the extra mile for them.