Overview

Dr. Douglas is professor of medicine and director of interventional cardiology and the cardiac catheterization laboratory at Emory University Hospital. He is a graduate of the University of the South and received his M.D. degree from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. He completed residency in Internal Medicine at the University of North Carolina and at Emory University. Dr. Douglas was a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy Medical Corps and served at the Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base and in An Hoa, South Vietnam. He completed fellowship in cardiology at Emory University and subsequently joined the Emory University School of Medicine faculty and the Emory Clinic where he has practiced invasive and interventional cardiology. In 1980, Dr. Douglas was a member of the team that performed the first coronary angioplasty at Emory University Hospital and in 1987 the first coronary stent in the United States. He was a partner of the late Andreas Gruentzig, the inventor of coronary angioplasty and participated in the development of current coronary angioplasty and stent techniques. He is a Fellow and prior member of the Board of Governors of the American College of Cardiology and Society for Cardiac Angiography and Intervention and is currently listed in Castle Connolly Guide of Americas Top Doctors, Atlantas Top Doctors, and The Best Doctors in America.

Clinical
Dr. Douglas practices invasive and interventional cardiology at Emory University Hospital. He sees patients needing diagnostic coronary angiography, intracoronary ultrasound, or measurement of coronary artery fractional flow reserve which is a measurement of coronary artery lesion significance. Performance of percutaneous closure of atrial septal defects and patent foramen ovale has been done for approximately five years and a large experience with alcohol septal ablation therapy for hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy has been accumulated. Dr. Douglas has a special interest in percutaneous treatment of chronic total occlusions (CTO) and the application of devices to improve safety during high risk coronary intervention and stent procedures including the Tandom Heart.

Teaching
Dr. Douglas and his colleagues in Interventional Cardiology provide teaching and supervision for five Interventional Cardiology Fellows and have trained over one-hundred Interventional Cardiology Fellows. He participates annually on the faculty of Interventional Cardiology Board Review Courses provided by the American College of Cardiology, the Society for Cardiac Angiography & Intervention and T.C.T.

Research

Dr. Douglas research interests include improving outcomes of coronary angioplasty and stent procedures, investigation of the relationships between patent foramen ovale and neurologic events such as stroke and migraine headache, and techniques to improve the symptomatic status of patients with drug refractory hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy using alcohol septal ablation. He has had a long term interest in angioplasty and stent therapy in patients who experience recurrent angina after bypass surgery and was a primary investigator in a number of trials of stents and distal protection devices during percutaneous intervention in saphenous vein grafts. The combined use of minimally invasive surgery and percutaneous coronary intervention to treat multiple coronary arteries (the so-called Hybrid or Integrated Approach) is currently under investigation as is the use of the Tandem Heart to support patients during high risk coronary stent procedure.

Academic Appointment

• Master Clinician, Emory University School of Medicine
• Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine

Education

Research