Drs. Carabello And Kiser Bring International Experience To Improve Cardiovascular Care In Eastern NC | Eastern NC Now

 GREENVILLE     The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University and Vidant Medical Center have appointed two acclaimed specialists to key leadership positions. Drs. Blase Carabello and Andy Kiser bring international experience and a new level of expertise in cardiovascular care to the East.

 Carabello joins the ECU Department of Cardiovascular Sciences as chief of cardiology at Brody and director of the East Carolina Heart Institute (ECHI) at the medical center.

 He is recognized worldwide in the field of valvular heart disease. He specializes in the care of patients with complex valvular heart disease and general internal medicine. He co-authored the AHA/ACC Guidelines for the Treatment of Valvular Disease from 1998 to 2016.

 Carabello earned his MD degree from Temple University. He completed his training in both internal medicine and cardiology at Harvard Medical School.

 "I've known a thousand doctors in my life but only 50 physicians," said Carabello. "A doctor is a technologist. A physician understands the power of science and the importance of evidence-based medicine but also knows the limitations of those disciplines, and that's where the art of medicine learned from experience takes over. That art and the willingness to feel the patient's anxiety about his/her illness and calm that fear makes a physician a physician."

 Kiser joins the Department of Cardiovascular Sciences as chief of cardiac surgery and director of cardiovascular surgical services at ECHI. He arrives from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was chief of cardiothoracic surgery.

 An international leader in minimally invasive valve and coronary artery surgery, Kiser has particular expertise in interventional surgery to avoid incisions in the chest. He developed the suprasternal approach for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), and performed the first such procedure in the United States in 2015. He also pioneered paracardioscopic procedures to treat atrial fibrillation.

 A North Carolina native, Dr. Kiser earned his BS and MD degrees with honors at UNC-Chapel Hill, followed by training there in general surgery and cardiothoracic surgery.

 "The East Carolina Heart Institute has a long and outstanding history of providing excellent care to the people of Eastern North Carolina. The cardiac surgery program is recognized as being one of the top 30 in the country for the best patient care and outcomes, better than 97 percent of all other cardiac surgery programs nationally," said Kiser. "This is an example of the commitment by the Brody School of Medicine and Vidant Health to have a heart team approach to care where the patient and family is central to our processes and decision making. I am honored to be a part of this community and to be able to join such an outstanding team."


 Vidant Health is a mission-driven, 1,439-bed health system that annually serves more than 1.4 million people in 29 eastern North Carolina counties. The not-for-profit system is made up of 12,000 employees, eight hospitals, home health, hospice, wellness centers, and Vidant Medical Group, a multispecialty physician and provider group with more than 420 providers in 80 practice sites. Vidant Health is affiliated with the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. As a major resource for health services and education, Vidant Health has a mission to improve the health and well-being of eastern North Carolina. For more information, visit www.vidanthealth.com.


 The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University is nationally recognized for preparing primary care physicians who practice in medically underserved communities. All those admitted are North Carolina residents and the majority of its graduates practice primary care in North Carolina. Brody's research includes a strong focus on cardiovascular disease, diabetes and preventative care. Brody partners with Vidant Health to provide a teaching hospital, sharing faculty physicians in broad service areas such as critical care, surgery, emergency care and trauma. It also operates ECU Physicians, the clinical practice for the Brody School of Medicine.