Dr. Michael B Melucci, MD

Dr. Michael Melucci spent ten years as an internist before he realized that, for him, the most fascinating part of practicing medicine was diagnosing and treating illnesses of the heart. “I happened to take a medicine review course and there was an echocardiographer,” says Dr. Melucci. “I found it so fascinating…that single thing made me decide to go back and do a cardiology fellowship.” After completing the fellowship in Philadelphia, Dr. Melucci moved to San Antonio, one of his favorite cities, to fulfill his commitment to the Air Force as a staff cardiologist at Lackland AFB. After obtaining his board certification in cardiology and completing his commitment with the Air Force, Dr. Melucci began practicing cardiology in Kerrville, where he has lived since 2000. Dr. Melucci says, increasingly, Kerrville residents, including a large population of retirees from across the country, have discovered they don’t have to travel to major cities like Houston for excellent medical care. Dr. Melucci and his partners with South Texas Cardiovascular Consultants are very proud to serve this community. Dr. Melucci’s enthusiasm for his chosen profession is obvious. “The good thing about cardiology is that it is a field where you can make a difference,” he explains. “Transesophageal echos and heart catheterizations provide instant answers. You have a specific question, you do the test, you have an answer and you know exactly what to do after that. If you can see your path clearly, it is very rewarding for you and the patient. Yet despite all the tools available to cardiologists to diagnose and treat cardiovascular disease, I think the most important advances in the field of cardiology have been in preventive care. Primary prevention with lipid-lowering agents, exercise and nutrition makes the biggest difference.” Even more exciting to Dr. Melucci are the prospects for cardiology in the future. “The biggest break is going to come from genetics and genomics,” he predicts. Today, in the field of regenerative medicine, blood stem cells are being tested in clinical trials for growing new blood vessels to repair damage from heart attacks. Patients (and Families) Make the Difference Dr. Melucci notes that the patients he treats now are much more educated than in the past. They want to understand more about their illness and treatment. “It’s not just, ‘Oh, I’ll take this pill and feel better in ten days,’” remarks Dr. Melucci, and he is happy with the change. “I think it is good for the patient to be an informed consumer.” There was a time when family members were not welcome in the room with the patient. Thankfully, the practice of medicine has changed, and Dr. Melucci definitely prefers to have family members actively involved. He knows they will often pick up important information that the patient does not hear or won’t remember due to feeling sick and anxious. In addition, Dr. Melucci believes that informed family members can make a vital difference when they act as a support team for patients who need to make major lifestyle changes as a result of their cardiovascular disease.