Samuel W. Reinhardt, MD

Sam Reinhardt, MD, is a cardiologist who specializes in advanced cardiac imaging, including structural echocardiography, cardiac MRI, and cardiac CT. He is also a member of the Structural Cardiology team, which focuses on treating patients with valvular disease (problems with the heart valves) through both less-invasive methods and open heart surgery.

Dr. Reinhardt particularly enjoys guiding minimally invasive (structural) cardiac interventions as the procedural echocardiographer. The interventional cardiologists on the team rely on him to show the cardiac valve of interest during the procedure and guide them as they place the device to fix the problem. He enjoys how these procedures can quickly give patients significant relief from their symptoms.

When interacting with patients, Dr. Reinhardt focuses on building a connection early. “I make sure the patient understands I see them as a whole person, not just someone with a heart condition,” he says. “I want to know where they are from, what their lives are like, what they enjoy doing, and how their disease is impacting their day-to-day life. Building relationships is one of the most rewarding parts of being a cardiologist.”

An assistant professor of cardiology at Yale School of Medicine, Dr. Reinhardt has been involved in researching different factors that affect patient outcomes in heart failure, including in left ventricular assist device (LVAD) and heart transplant patients. More recently, he has focused on valvular heart disease and different metrics to use to determine the severity of valvular pathology. He is involved in multiple ongoing clinical trials at Yale School of Medicine involving new therapies to treat valvular heart disease through minimally invasive approaches.