About

After graduating from Auburn University, Dr. H. Thomas Hight studied medicine at the Univ. of Alabama Birmingham and completed his internship and residency in Internal Medicine at the Univ Tenn/Baptist Memorial Hosp in Memphis, TN where he entered private practice. He later served as Clinical Instructor in Internal Medicine at the University of Colorado Center for the Health Sciences in Denver, working in an endocrinology practice at Rose Medical Center.

Board certified in Clinical Lipidology and Internal Medicine, Dr. Hight developed his passion for preventing heart attacks and strokes while working 6 years in a cardiology practice in Marietta, GA, where those types of events were commonplace. It was a high-risk patient population. One of the first in Atlanta to employ the electron beam CT heart calcium scan for early detection of heart disease over 20 years ago, he served as medical director of a heart imaging center. But because heart calcium tests can worsen when arteries are actually improving, Dr. Hight developed a revolutionary new ultrasound-based method for trending inflammatory changes in 5 arteries to determine whether it’s getting better or worse, which he believes is an essential element in reducing event risks.

Known for his ability to dramatically reduce risk in the most challenging high-risk patients anywhere (people who’ve already had heart attacks, strokes and stents), Dr. Hight has earned the trust of patients who routinely travel to Atlanta from coast to coast.  

We welcome the most difficult-to-treat patients.

Although personal genetics are important, they do not determine the course of your life. More than 99% of people can overcome their genetics. Do you have the heart attack gene? Though it can increase your risk, it can never make you have a heart attack.

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE:

The Boston Heart Diagnostics “heart matters™” study on former NFL players:

Dr. Hight served as the Atlanta site director for a study co-sponsored by Boston Heart Diagnostics and the Living Heart Foundation, evaluating the effects of an intensive lifestyle management program on lipid-related bio-markers in former NFL players in four cities. The study is being prepared for publication.

The Corus®CAD REGISTRY 1 study:

Vargas, et al, Diagnostic Use of the Corus® CAD Gene Expression Test for Assessment of Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease Likelihood in Symptomatic Non-Diabetic Patients. PLoS Curr. 2013 August 26; 5: ecurrents.eogt.0f04f6081905998fa92b99593478aeab. Published online 2013 August 26. 

Dr. Hight was one of seven primary care physicians who served as site directors for this study using a multiple RNA gene expression test to assess patients for obstructive (surgically significant) coronary disease who had chest pain or similar symptoms.

The Cherokee County Firefighters Study:

Coronary Artery Calcification Scoring: A Better Tool for Risk Stratification in Firefighters. Abstract/poster presented at the American College of Cardiology Annual Meeting, April, 2012

Dr. Hight participated in this study of 59 Cherokee County Firefighters, designed and implemented by Drs, Robert Superko, Basil Margolis, Stephen Frohwein and Jason Reingold, comparing the strategies of using the Reynolds Risk Score or CT Coronary Artery Calcium Scoring to determine cardiovascular risk, which was co-sponsored by Saint Joseph's Hospital in Atlanta and Berkeley HeartLabs. In this study, compared to the Reynolds Risk Score which classified 91.5% in the lowest risk category, CAC scoring effectively re-classified almost half the firefighters into a higher risk category. Those higher risk individuals were then referred to an aggressive risk factor reduction program using the Berkeley advanced lipid bio-markers and dieticians.

Contact CardioSound to learn more.

Location:

Vinings

3330 Cumberland Blvd SE

Suite 500

Atlanta, GA 30339