Our History
The Heart Institute of the High Desert was started in 1996 with the
arrival of Dr. Siva Arunasalam to the Victor Valley. Having completed his cardiology
training at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, he was recruited by St. Mary
Regional Medical Center to bring advanced cardiac technology to the High Desert. Initially
in a small office near the hospital, the Institute had explosive growth requiring a move
to a larger facility. The present facility on Hesperia Road has served very well, but
because of continued growth, we are building a much larger building farther North on
Hesperia that will allow better service and care of patients, and also allow our patients
access to more specialists.
Not only has there been a physical growth in the Institute,
but the Institute has kept up with all of the changes in cardiac diagnostics and
therapeutics. We can now provide our patients with many of the diagnostic tests available
at major medical centers in Southern California. We perform our own ECG and nuclear stress
tests, echocardiograms, stress echocardiograms, Holter and event monitoring in addition to
all of the standard tests to be performed in specialists offices.
The Heart Institute also provides advanced therapeutic technologies for patients with
heart disease. Coronary angioplasty, stenting and pacemakers are our routine, but we also
provide implantable cardioverter defibrillator placement, in addition to the most advanced
bi-ventricular pacemakers for patients with heart failure. We are also in the process of
developing an advanced Heart Failure clinic to provide patients with the most up-to-date
therapy.
We will continue to grow, not only physically, but we will also continue to provide our
patients in the High Desert with the most advanced heart care, and "total care"
of the patient possible.
