New Heart Failure Specialist Joins BCH

Heart failure specialist Dr. Scott Blois has joined Boulder Community Health to create and lead the first heart failure clinic in Boulder County.

With heart failure (also known as congestive heart failure), a person’s heart does not pump as well as it should, meaning it can’t get enough oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood to the cells to meet the body’s needs. As a result, people may experience symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue, and/or a rapid or irregular heartbeat. Everyday activities such as climbing stairs or carrying groceries can become difficult. Eventually, the body begins to retain fluid, and people may experience swelling of the feet, ankles, legs or abdomen. A chronic, progressive condition, heart failure is caused by a number of factors, two of the most common being uncontrolled high blood pressure and coronary artery disease/heart attack.

“Heart failure affects nearly six million Americans. It’s the most common heart-related reason for hospitalization in the U.S.,” said Dr. Blois. “Without the right treatment, some types of heart failure diagnosis carry the same survival rate as metastatic cancer. However, the condition can be managed and the prognosis can be very good with the proper treatment and care. I am thrilled by the opportunity to develop and lead BCH’s new heart failure clinic and bring some of the most advanced diagnostic tools and treatments to patients in Boulder County and beyond.”

“Given how common heart failure is, and the critical need for proper diagnosis and treatment of the condition, we felt it was imperative that we provide Boulder County residents top-notch care close to home,” said Dr. Robert J. Vissers, president and CEO of BCH. “Our new heart failure clinic is the first such clinic in Boulder County, meaning patients will no longer have to travel to receive the ongoing care that they need.”

Treatment options at the clinic include life-saving medicines along with pacemakers and defibrillators. From a diagnostic perspective, Dr. Blois offers exercise oxygen consumption testing, done on a treadmill equipped with an oxygen mask, to help monitor the strength of patients’ hearts. The clinic operates with a patient-centered philosophy that includes a great deal of instruction about heart failure and recommended lifestyle changes to help patients live with the condition.

Dr. Blois’ office is in Boulder Heart, Suite 200 in the Anderson Medical Center on the Foothills Medical Campus.

Prior to his arrival at Boulder Heart, Dr. Blois spent 14 years as the primary heart failure specialist at Austin Heart in Austin, Texas. Dr. Blois attended medical school at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. He completed his internal medicine residency and cardiology fellowship at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. He is board certified in both general cardiology and advanced heart failure.

To schedule an appointment with Dr. Blois, please call 303-442-2395.