Miami · Doral
Your heart and your circulation, cared for by one team.
4 Chambers Cardiology is the practice of interventional cardiologist Dr. Marcos Valerio. Consultations, heart and vascular imaging, stress testing, and artery and vein procedures all happen in our own offices.
What makes the practice different
Testing and your visit on the same day
Your echocardiogram, vascular ultrasound or stress test can be scheduled alongside your appointment, so you hear the results from the doctor in one trip.
Heart and vascular care together
Blocked arteries in the legs, varicose veins and heart disease share the same causes. One physician evaluates and treats all of them.
Care in English and Spanish
Dr. Valerio is a native Spanish speaker. You can ask your questions, and understand the answers, in the language you are most comfortable with.
Before surgery
Need cardiac clearance for an upcoming operation?
If your surgeon has asked for a cardiology evaluation, tell us your surgery date when you call and we will schedule around it. Any testing the evaluation calls for is done in our office.
Call to schedule- Call us with your surgery date and your surgeon's name and fax number.
- Come in for your visit and ECG, plus an echocardiogram or stress test if one is needed.
- We fax the clearance letter to your surgeon.
Services and procedures
Select any item to read more.
Cardiac
Conditions we treat
Coronary artery disease and chest pain
Coronary artery disease develops when cholesterol-heavy plaque narrows the arteries of the heart. It can cause chest pressure, shortness of breath, or no symptoms at all. We look for it with stress testing and imaging, and treat it with medication, risk-factor control and, when needed, catheterization.
Shortness of breath and heart failure
Breathlessness, leg swelling and fatigue can mean the heart is not pumping or relaxing the way it should. An echocardiogram usually gives the answer, and treatment is adjusted visit by visit.
Palpitations and irregular heartbeat
Skipped beats, racing or fluttering range from harmless to serious. We sort out which it is with ECG and heart-rhythm monitoring and manage it with medication. When an electrophysiology study or ablation is the right answer, we refer you to a specialist who performs them.
Fainting and dizziness
We check whether a heart rhythm problem, a valve problem or blood pressure is behind the episode.
High blood pressure and high cholesterol
The two most common and most treatable causes of heart attack and stroke. We set targets with you and adjust treatment until you reach them.
Heart valve disease and murmurs
Valves that leak or do not open fully are followed with echocardiograms over time, so that repair or replacement is recommended at the right moment and not before.
Testing and procedures
Consultation and second opinions
A full review of your history, medications and prior testing, an ECG, and a plan you can understand.
Echocardiogram
An ultrasound of the heart that shows its size, pumping strength and valves. It is painless and takes about 15 minutes. A transesophageal echo is arranged when a closer view is needed.
Treadmill stress test
Your ECG and blood pressure are monitored while you walk on a treadmill, to see how your heart responds to exercise.
Nuclear stress test (SPECT) and cardiac PET
Imaging that shows how well blood reaches the heart muscle at rest and under stress. It can be done with medication for patients who cannot walk on a treadmill.
Pacemaker, defibrillator and loop recorder checks
Regular in-office checks of your device's battery, leads and recorded heart rhythms.
Cardiac catheterization, angioplasty and stenting
A thin catheter is guided to the heart to take pictures of the coronary arteries and measure pressures directly. When a blockage needs treatment, Dr. Valerio opens it with a balloon and stent. Right heart catheterization is performed when pressures in the lungs and the right side of the heart need to be measured.
Electrical cardioversion
A brief, controlled shock given under sedation to return an irregular rhythm such as atrial fibrillation to normal.
In-office lab work
Blood can be drawn during your visit, so you do not need a separate trip to a lab.
Vascular
Conditions we treat
Peripheral artery disease (PAD)
Narrowed arteries in the legs cause cramping when you walk, wounds that are slow to heal, or cold feet. PAD is also a warning sign for heart disease, which is why we evaluate both.
Varicose veins and venous insufficiency
When the valves in the leg veins fail, blood pools. The result is bulging veins, heaviness, swelling, skin darkening and sometimes ulcers. This is a medical condition, not only a cosmetic one, and it is treatable in the office.
Leg swelling
Swelling can come from the veins, the heart, or both. We check each so the treatment fits the cause.
Carotid artery disease
Plaque in the neck arteries raises the risk of stroke. It is found with a simple ultrasound and followed over time.
Aortic aneurysm screening
An ultrasound of the abdominal aorta looks for enlargement before it causes problems.
Testing and procedures
Vascular ultrasound
Carotid, leg artery, leg vein, renal artery and abdominal aorta studies are performed in our office and interpreted by Dr. Valerio, a Registered Physician in Vascular Interpretation.
Peripheral angiography and intervention
Through a small puncture, the leg arteries are imaged with contrast. Blockages can often be opened in the same session with a balloon, a stent, atherectomy to clear plaque, or thrombectomy to remove clot, and you go home the same day.
Radiofrequency vein ablation
A catheter seals the failing vein from the inside with heat, and blood reroutes to healthy veins. It is done with local anesthesia, and you walk out afterward.
Varithena foam treatment
A medicated foam is injected to close diseased veins. It is useful for twisted veins that a catheter cannot reach.
Sclerotherapy for varicose and spider veins
Small injections close surface veins that are unsightly or uncomfortable. It is done in the office with no downtime.
Compression therapy
Stockings and home compression devices to control swelling, fitted and prescribed as part of your treatment plan.
What we refer out. We do not perform electrophysiology studies or cardiac ablation. If you need one, we coordinate the referral and continue your cardiology care here.
Our team
Marcos G. Valerio, MD, FACC
Interventional cardiologist · Founder
Dr. Valerio came to medicine through nursing. Before medical school he worked as a critical care nurse in intensive care units, and then for seven years in the cardiac catheterization unit at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia. He stayed at Columbia for his internal medicine residency.
He trained in cardiology at Westchester Medical Center and in interventional cardiology at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, then moved to Miami in 2018. He opened 4 Chambers Cardiology in 2020.
A New York native and native Spanish speaker, he sees patients in both languages.
- Medical schoolSUNY Downstate College of Medicine, Brooklyn, NY
- ResidencyInternal Medicine, NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia, New York, NY
- FellowshipCardiology, Westchester Medical Center, Valhalla, NY
- FellowshipInterventional Cardiology, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York, NY
- FellowAmerican College of Cardiology (FACC)
- Board certificationCardiovascular Disease, American Board of Internal Medicine
- VascularRegistered Physician in Vascular Interpretation (RPVI)
- NursingBSN, Binghamton University
Valerie Valerio, APRN, DNP
Nurse practitioner · Doctor of Nursing Practice
Valerie is an advanced practice registered nurse with a doctorate in nursing practice. She studied at Boston University and completed her nursing and advanced practice nursing education at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut. She sees patients for consultations and follow-up visits at our main office, Monday through Friday.
Imaging and clinical staff
Echo, vascular ultrasound, nuclear and front office
Our sonographers, technologists and front-desk team work in the same offices as your doctor, so your test results reach them right away.
Three offices, one phone number
Call 305.856.1064 for any location. We will tell you which office your appointment is in.
Miami, FL 33155
Consultations and follow-up visits, echocardiograms, vascular ultrasound, treadmill stress tests, device checks and lab work.
Get directionsMiami, FL 33126
Nuclear stress testing (SPECT) and cardiac PET on Tuesday mornings, plus consultations.
Get directionsDoral, FL 33166
Catheterization, peripheral angiography and intervention, and vein procedures.
Get directionsFor patients
What to bring to your first visit
- Photo ID and your insurance card
- All of your medications, or a current list with doses
- Recent test results, hospital records or discharge papers, if you have them
- Your referral, if your plan requires one
- Your surgeon's name and fax number, if you are coming for clearance
Plan on about 30 minutes for a first visit, and longer if testing is scheduled the same day.
Insurance and payment
Have your insurance card in hand when you call. We verify your coverage and your copay before your appointment, so there are no surprises at the desk. Copays are collected at check-in.
No insurance, or a plan we are not in network with? Self-pay visits are available. Ask for pricing when you call.
Preparing for a stress test
Our staff will go over your instructions when the test is booked, including what to eat, whether to avoid caffeine, and which medications to hold. Wear comfortable clothes and walking shoes.
For referring physicians
Fax the referral with demographics, insurance, the clinical question and any recent ECG, labs or imaging. We call the patient to schedule, and our consult note comes back to you after the visit.
For pre-operative clearance, include the procedure, the date and where to send the letter.
Urgent patient? Call the office and tell the front desk it is a physician calling about an urgent referral.
Referral fax
305.856.0644
Office
Common referrals
Chest pain, dyspnea, abnormal ECG, murmur, syncope, pre-op clearance, claudication, non-healing leg wounds, leg swelling, symptomatic varicose veins, carotid bruit.
En español
4 Chambers Cardiology es el consultorio del Dr. Marcos Valerio, cardiólogo intervencionista. Atendemos enfermedades del corazón, de las arterias y de las venas en nuestras oficinas de Miami y Doral. Las consultas, los ecocardiogramas, las pruebas de esfuerzo y los procedimientos de venas y arterias se hacen en nuestras propias oficinas. El Dr. Valerio habla español.