Nelson Lim Bernardo, MD

Expert Publications

• Symptomatic hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy: the role of dual-chamber pacing.
• Delayed ischemic preconditioning is mediated by opening of ATP-sensitive potassium channels in the rabbit heart.
• Myocardial preconditioning: basic concepts and potential mechanisms.
• Tyrosine kinase signaling in action potential shortening and expression of HSP72 in late preconditioning.
• Application of excimer laser angioplasty in acute myocardial infarction.
• Alterations of platelet aggregation kinetics with ultraviolet laser emission: the "stunned platelet" phenomenon.
• Excimer laser debulking for percutaneous coronary intervention in left main coronary artery disease.
• Accepted TCT challenging case: common femoral artery perforation after primary percutaneous coronary intervention successfully treated with a novel transcatheter "thrombin-blood patch" injection technique.
• Low-dose protamine to facilitate earlier sheath removal from the femoral artery after peripheral endovascular intervention.
• Retroperitoneal hemorrhage after percutaneous coronary intervention in the current practice era: clinical outcomes and prognostic value of abdominal/pelvic computed tomography.
• Endovascular recanalization of central venous access to allow for pacemaker implantation or upgrade.
• Transcatheter "thrombin-blood patch" injection: a novel and effective approach to treat catheterization-related arterial perforation.
• Innovative use of self-expanded polytetrafluoroethylene endoprosthesis for percutaneous endovascular interventions.
• Incidence and correlates in the development of iatrogenic femoral pseudoaneurysm after percutaneous coronary interventions.
• Vascular access in critical limb ischemia.

Clinical Trials

• EVAS2 IDE Prospective, Multicenter, Single Arm Safety and Effectiveness Confirmatory Study
• A Multicenter Study to Evaluate the ROX Coupler in Subjects With Hypertension
• Evaluation of the Roadsaver Stent Used in Conjunction With the Nanoparasol Embolic Protection System for Carotid Artery Stenosis
• Best Endovascular vs. Best Surgical Therapy in Patients With Critical Limb Ischemia
• Safety and Effectiveness Study of Endovascular Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair Using the Nellix® System

Media Releases

Get to know Interventional Cardiologist Dr. Nelson L. Bernardo, who serves the population of Virginia.

Dr. Bernardo is the medical director of the Peripheral Vascular Laboratory at MedStar Heart Institute, as well as the director for Peripheral Intervention at the Cardiovascular Research Institute at MedStar Research Institute, and the co-chair for cardiac peripheral vascular diseases. The MedStar Heart Institute is the highest volume cardiac surgery centers in the central Maryland and Washington regions

Additionally he serves as an assistant professor in the Division of Cardiology at the Medical College of Virginia campus of Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. The mission of the School of Medicine is to provide preeminent education to physicians and scientists in order to improve the quality of health care for humanity. Through innovative, scholarly activity and a diverse educational context, the School seeks to create and apply new knowledge, and to provide and continuously improve systems of medical and science education.

Dr. Bernardo is involved in peer review for numerous publications, including Angiology and Journal of Invasive Cardiology. Dr. Bernardo publishes extensively in his field. He lectures frequently at meetings and conferences, both nationally and internationally. He was the clinical investigator or co-investigator in dozens of trials in the field of cardiology and cardiovascular disease. He is currently involved in a number of ongoing trials and clinical studies.

Dr. Bernardo holds three years of extensive experience in his field. He graduated with his Medical Degree from the University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center in the Philippines in 1986 before completed his residency with the Philippines General Hospital. After completing his first residency, he relocated to the United States where he completed his Internal Medicine residency with the MedStar Washington Hospital Center followed by an additional internal medicine residency with the Medical College of Virginia-VCU. Wanting to further his training he then completed his Cardiovascular Disease and additionally Interventional Cardiology Fellowship with the Medical College of Virginia-VCU.

To stay up to date in his field Dr. Bernardo remains a Fellow of the American College of Cariology, an honor that shows his commitment to only the highest standards of cardiovascular care, and that you have been conferred to the highest credential by his peers.

Interventional Cardiology represents advanced training in cardiovascular disease and focuses on the invasive (usually catheter-based) management of heart disease. Clinical issues usually managed by interventional cardiologists include: Ischemic heart disease (percutaneous coronary intervention (angioplasty), stent placement, coronary thrombectomy), Valve disease (valvuloplasty, percutaneous valve repair or replacement), and Congenital heart abnormalities (repair of atrial and ventricular septal defects, closure of patent ductus arteriosus, angioplasty of the great vessels).

Recommended Articles

• What Are the Best Ways to Lower Blood Pressure?

  Blood pressure above 140/90 mm Hg is considered hypertension, and is one of the most prevalent and preventable conditions. High blood pressure is one of the causes of about 15% of deaths in the country, and also increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. Not to mention the risks of aneurysms,...

• Overweight Children Are Likely to Have High Blood Pressure

  A new study published in the journal, Hypertension, shows that a child who is overweight is at risk of high blood pressure, three times more than an average weight child. In this study 1,111 children were followed up for an average of four years. Height weight and blood pressure of the...

• How Common is Lupus, and What Does it Look Like?

  SymptomsThe affected person may exhibit one or more of the following symptoms. Symptoms are not always consistent, as they may flare up or disappear at any time. ...

• Stress Can Directly Affect a Woman's Heart

  Results of a study presented in the Experimental Biology 2012 meeting in San Diego showed that coping with mental stress is harder on a  woman's heart, when compared to that of men. Researcher Chester Ray, PhD, professor of medicine, and cellular and molecular physiology at Penn State's College of...

• What is Blood Pressure, and How Is Blood Pressure Lowered?

  Modern day lifestyle does come with the risk of certain disease that is a result of everyday stress, poor eating habits, lack of exercise, and so on. While we are all aware of these diseases, we fail to take timely steps to prevent them from happening to us, and, by the time these strike, it is...

• When Should You See a Heart Surgeon?

  What Does a Heart Surgeon Do?A heart surgeon or cardiovascular surgeon is known for operating on the heart as well as the blood vessels for repairing any damage that has been caused to the heart. This could be due to any kind of disorder or disease of the cardiovascular system. Most of the time, the...