Locations
Office
Indianapolis, IN
Clearwater Cardiovascular Consultants
Clearwater, FL
About
Bio
Dr. Garner is a board certified cardiologist and specializes in heart rhythm disorders (electrophysiology). He has participated in clinical trials of next-generation atrial fibrillation ablation techniques and published on topics including ventricular tachycardia, syndromes related to sudden cardiac death, depression in cardiovascular disease, medication tolerance and adherence and has performed research in cardiac nerve activity and supraventricular tachycardias. . Dr. Garner has served as a consultant to select legal firms and helped develop the curriculum for medical school entrance test preparation for a well-known national firm. Dr. Garner sees patients with all manner of heart rhythm abnormalities throughout the Tampa and Clearwater areas of Florida out of his Clearwater office.
SpecialtiesDoctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
Doctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
Cardiology
Cardiac Electrophysiology
Internal Medicine
Languages spoken
German
Doctor Q&A
575 Answers
42 Agrees
The number of answers this doctor has agreed with.
A 25-year-old member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
No, Somewhat: No - there are medical therapies and surgical therapies as well. First ablation procedures w/ current technique are generally 50% effective at elimin... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 34-year-old member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
No I Did Not: I do an awful lot of afib treatment every week and i'd love to know what chinese herbal combination cures it. Please share.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 41-year-old member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
Sure: The mitral valve is a relatively tough structure (it has to be to stand up to 80+ years of brutally forceful contractions) but not tougher than some o... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 30-year-old member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
Rarely: If atrial fibrillation is inherited, it is most often because of some other associated condition which is also inherited. There are rare types of atri... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 40-year-old member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
Damage, but only…: The kidney is exquisitely sensitive to blood pressure. It is one of the core organs which helps regulate this important biological parameter. Very low... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 39-year-old member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
No such thing: Nobody's implanting the fully artificial heart anymore. The thing they implant is a rotary pump called an lvad (left ventricular assist device) that ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 52-year-old member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
Depends: The surgery itself can take 4-8 hours. But then there's the organ procurement which can be up to 3 hours of transport by vehicle or jet and a surgery... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 30-year-old member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
Everybody: There certain genetic predispositions and conditions which can set you up for a serious risk of arteriosclerosis, but the lack of exercise and our inh... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 26-year-old member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
Usually: This is a very complicated question, and we only have 400 characters, but it generally involves inadequate pumping function of the heart. This ultima... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 40-year-old member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
1, 2, 3: 1) we bring you into the procedural area and review your medical history. This lets us pick the best anesthesia strategy.
2) we perform an echocar... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 35-year-old member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
3 Reasons: 1) unfavorable geometry - the heart is shaped the way it is to get a job done. Distortion of that geometry creates less effective action and blood f... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 35-year-old member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
Depends on…: For avnrt and avrt (the latter also called wolf parkinson white) the success rate can be as high as 98%. The same can also be true for typical (right ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 25-year-old member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
Yep: Just stay away from levitra (vardenafil). Cialis and viagra should be fine. The reason has to do with potential interactions with meds used to control... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 27-year-old member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
Placebo, 10 mg: Incomplete rbbb is, in the majority of patients, normal variant caused by simple delay of the right bundle conduction relative to the left bundle's co... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 24-year-old member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
Nope: Pretty normal for a person your age, although as the county keeps getting fatter, it's becoming less and less common to see. Keep up an active lifest... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 24-year-old member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
They're not: We're not picking duracell vs energizer here. These things were all lithium iodide cells until very recently because of its ideal characteristics (no... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 23-year-old member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
No, but…: Atrial fibrillation is frequently associated with other cardiovascular disease. In patients with cardiovascular disease, damage to the blood vessels i... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 30-year-old member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
Pericarditis: When we do this, particularly if it's an atrial fibrillation ablation, there can be irritation of the lining of the heart (the pericardium) and it cau... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 40-year-old member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
Compensation: The heart has to deliver a certain amount of blood to the body for it to function. Vasodilators decrease the amount of blood returning to the heart, ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 36-year-old member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
Standstill: The extremely rapid rates of atrial fibrillation are in fact so fast that they create two problems: the top chamber is not mechanically moving very fa... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 26-year-old member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
About 2 Months: We usually advise people remain on vigorous anticoag for 2 months. Most of the risk is in the first 1-2 weeks though.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 26-year-old member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
Hopefully any: The short answer is one of:
- family medicine, internal medicine, or pediatrics (generalists)
- ob/gyn which is a specialist field but which provide... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 32-year-old member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
Tests and Monitors: One of two ways: either you flunk a treadmill or other exercise test by one of several criteria relating to heart rate rise and fall, or you complain... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 23-year-old member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
Depends...: I'm going to assume you're 25 and have "paroxysmal" atrial fibrillation (afib some of the time, but not most of the time). In that case, an initial pr... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 25-year-old member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
a few things: Sick sinus syndrome results in the top chamber being unable to effectively regulate its rate. It can also occur in the setting of atrial fibrillation.... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 29-year-old member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
It Depends: Atrial fibrillation will (provided you don't have an exceedingly rare condition called wolff-parkinson-white) not lead directly to your death, but the... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 44-year-old member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
Generally, It's Not: Afib isn't a fatal condition and while people who have it live shorter lives, most of that is because they also have other issues. It's problematic if... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.8k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 52-year-old member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
Most definitely: The fantastically named medulla oblongata (or "medulla" for short) modulates basic body functions like this. In response to sensors staggered through... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 45-year-old member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
At Your Age...: Generally, at your age, something between 50-90 at rest. Extremely well conditioned athletes can have heart rates as low as the 30s while awake.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
Usually Not: Mris and pacemakers don't generally mix. At very specialized centers, they do MRI in patients with devices, and there is now a medtronic pacemaker sy... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 35-year-old member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
Yes: Aspirin has, in most populations, been shown to decrease the likelihood of a heart attack by preventing platelets from sticking together and forming c... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 34-year-old member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
Define cured: Atrial fibrillation is a degenerative disease of the upper chamber which results in deposition of microscopic amounts of scar tissue, a generally irr... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 41-year-old member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
Treating slow rhythm: A pacemaker keeps the heart rate above a certain limit, which is programmable. It cannot treat heart rates that are already too high. Dealing with f... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 46-year-old member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
Orthostasis: Too much blood pooling in the legs can prompt the heart to try compensating by raising the rate. This happens in everyone, but in some it can be an e... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 29-year-old male asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
Stimulants / None: Anything stimulating (caffeine) has a tendency to provoke svts. Alcohol, particularly binge drinking is also strongly associated with certain svts. ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
Usually < 60-70: Most people, left untreated, have rates between 70 and 150. It's a bit unusual to fall below that without drugs or other treatment.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 44-year-old member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
If They Need It: There is no reason lung disease precludes a pacemaker. It does, however, slightly increase the chance of a punctured lung during placement of the dev... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 44-year-old female asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
Sure we do: If the pacemaker was implanted specifically because of the fainting spells, the docs are assuming (or have proved) that it was likely due to a low hea... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 34-year-old member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
Of Course: And as an added bonus, the exercise will likely help lower your blood pressure further.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 34-year-old member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
No.: Our best studies indicate that the benefits of Plavix (clopidogrel) (depending on the circumstances leading to your stent) extend out to at least nin... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 33-year-old member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
Size matters: The biggest predictor of an aneurysms rupture is its overall size. As the radius of the aneurysm increases, the wall tension increases in direct propo... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 29-year-old member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
A few things: Generally speaking, infection or inflammation cause swollen lymph nodes. In response to an infection, the lymph nodes increase production of immune ce... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 32-year-old female asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
Not necessarily: There are a couple of issues here: many people could mistake pacs with abnormal conduction for pvcs. Wpw is not by itself a problem with the lower ch... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 48-year-old member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
Only if you...: Only if you pass the cigarette. Otherwise, you're not going to give emphysema to others.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
Lots of Things: If it's just a single out of place beat here or there, it's just an irritable extra beat from either the top or bottom chambers. If it's a sustained t... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 46-year-old member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
Salt and Fluids: Increase your salt intake to >4gm per day and increase your fluid intake to >2l per day. But the real question is: why?! in tribes never exposed to... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years agoMerged
A 51-year-old female asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
Couple of days: By ventricular pacemaker can improve symptoms for up to 70% of people who receive one, however it does not prevent heart failure from existing. If you... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 38-year-old member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
Not at all: Pulmonary fibrosis and fibromyalgia have only the root fibr in common. Pulmonary fibrosis is deposition of scar tissue in the lungs leading to high b... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 47-year-old member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
The Main Event: What you need is something called an event monitor. It's a gizmo you wear for 30 days or so and when you're feeling the heart beats you press a button... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 32-year-old member asked:
Dr. John Garneranswered
Cardiology 18 years experience
By definition no: By definition, "acquired" aortic stenosis is something you got other than from your genes. That said, many genetic factors can put you more at risk o... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
TestimonialsRecommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
Recommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
6
Recommendations
1.6K
Thank you notes
Mar 9, 2014
Dr Garner has a vast fund of knowledge that allows for effectively contributing to this online community of health.
Aug 2, 2013
great answers. Very helpful!
HealthTap member
Sep 4, 2014
Awesome, caring, listens, goes to bat for his patients. Great electro physiologist!
HealthTap member
Thank you, your answer was very helpful! Learning about my atrial fib. Thank you for your info. A well informed patient is a better patient, at least with me!
HealthTap member
Thanks for your quick reply! I had a short circut burned out back on may 24 th. I am working with the same doc for more of these spells again so thank u
HealthTap member
Thank you, your answer was very helpful! I am still battling a low pt/inr even after being on enoxaparin stomach shots twice daily for 2 mos
Education & Training
Medical/Graduate school
The University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, IA
Graduated 2005MD
Residency
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO HOSPITAL ANSCHUTZ INPATIENT
Awards
Associate of the American College of Cardiology
Top Cardiologist , First Place, Indiana - Winter
2013
Top Doctor, First Place, Clearwater Region, FL - Summer
2013
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