Dr. Andrea Natale Brings Decades of Innovation and Research to Treating Atrial Fibrillation

Dr. Andrea Natale

Atrial fibrillation, also known as AFib, is the most common type of diagnosed heart arrhythmia. A heart arrhythmia results when the heart beats too slowly, too fast, or in an irregular manner, something Dr. Andrea Natale has dedicated his life to understanding and treating. With AFib, the normal beating in the upper chambers of the heart is irregular. Therefore, blood does not flow as well as it should from the upper to the lower chambers of the heart, which can result in blood clots, stroke, or heart failure. These heartbeat irregularities may happen in brief episodes, or they may be a permanent, frequent condition that requires medical treatment. 

The death rate from complications related to atrial fibrillation (either as a primary or contributing cause) has been rising for over 20 years. The most recent statistics from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) note that AFib as the underlying cause of death in more than 25,000 cases and contributes to the conditions of more than 175,000 patients. Conditions such as high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes all increase the risk of developing atrial fibrillation, and all of them are currently medical concerns among many U.S. citizens. The CDC estimates that more than 12 million people will be diagnosed with atrial fibrillation before 2030, making the pioneering work and treatment advancements of Dr. Andrea Natale more critical than ever.

Dr. Andrea Natale’s Professional Start

Dr. Andrea Natale

Before gaining worldwide recognition as a leader in the field of electrophysiology, Andrea Natale began his medical education in his home country of Italy. After earning his medical degree summa cum laude from the Universita’ degli Studi di Firenze, Dr. Natale graduated summa cum laude in Cardiology at the Universitá del Sacro Cuore in Roma. He then completed another residency in cardiology and fellowship in cardiac electrophysiology in Canada at the University of Western Ontario. In the USA, at the University of Wisconsin, he completed a second fellowship in cardiac electrophysiology.  

Natale began his career at Duke University as Director of the Cardiac Electrophysiology Laboratories in the Department of Cardiology.  

For a decade, Natale served as Section Head for the Department of Cardiac Pacing and Electrophysiology and Medical Director for the Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Atrial Fibrillation. During his time at this prestigious institution, Natale received several medical awards, including Innovator of the Year and The Cleveland Clinic’s Heart-Brain Institute Research Award. He also received recognition as one of Cleveland’s Top Doctors and Northern Ohio’s Best Doctors. Natale also received an appointment in 2006 to the United States Food and Drug Administration’s task force on atrial fibrillation and was distinguished as one of the Best Doctors in America in 2013 and 2014.

After his tenure in Ohio, Natale served as the Arrhythmia Center Director at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, where he continued to pioneer treatments and advancements in atrial fibrillation. In 2012, he became the director of interventional electrophysiology at the Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, California, and a few years later, he became the executive director of the Al Sabah Arrhythmia Institute at St Luke’s-Roosevelt Medical Center in New York. Dr. Andrea Natale holds licenses to practice in Florida, Colorado, New York, California, Ohio, and Texas.  

In addition to his prestigious career as a practicing cardiologist and cardiac electrophysiologist, Andrea Natale is a faculty member at various medical schools nationwide, including Stanford University, Duke University, and Case Western University. He has received author, co-author, and editor recognition for hundreds of peer-reviewed medical journal articles and has written various books on the subjects of heart rhythm (cardiac) pacing and electrophysiology. He also continues to serve or has previously lent his years of experience and research as an editor or board member for numerous medical journals, including The American Journal of Cardiology, Heart Rhythm, and the American Heart Journal. Natale is the creator of EPLIVE, a first-of-its-kind program that allows live interaction between electrophysiology experts from around the world through the observation of live cases performed in the laboratories of Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute in Austin, Texas.

Dr. Andrea Natale’s medical research prowess

Now serving as the Executive Medical Director of the Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute at Saint David’s Medical Center, Andrea Natale brings more than 20 years of groundbreaking, cutting-edge research in the field of electrophysiology arrhythmia treatment to Austin. Most notably, Natale is recognized as the creator of a circumferential ultrasound vein-ablation system used to correct atrial fibrillation, a procedure that he performed on the first patients in the world 

In addition, Natale is credited with developing some of the current catheter-based techniques utilized in atrial fibrillation treatment and was the first electrophysiologist in the United States to perform percutaneous epicardial radiofrequency ablation, a treatment for patients who are unresponsive to traditional ablation procedures. 

His research and clinical achievements have led to a patent through the U.S. Patent office for a device used in the treatment of atrial fibrillation. Natale remains a sought-after specialist of cardiac electrophysiology, with patients from all over the world traveling to Texas for treatment, as well as continued invitations to speaking engagements at symposiums and seminars worldwide.

In addition to his individual work in electrophysiology, Natale has partnered with Ninety One Inc. to develop and further the use of automated and remote monitoring platforms used in cardiac treatments, including wearables such as pacemakers and implantable cardiac devices. Natale will serve as the Medical Advisory Board’s chief, leading Ninety One’s automated intelligence-focused research efforts. Natale is a firm believer in the benefits of combining health care and technology to improve how patients access medical care. As the need for ongoing advancements in cardiac care continues to rise, the work of Dr. Andrea Natale will provide new and innovative advancements in arrhythmia diagnosing, treatment, and monitoring.