Lonnie Harrison, MD, FACC
Lonnie Harrison, M.D. practices Interventional Cardiology, Endovascular surgery, thermal and non-thermal Venous Ablation, Phlebectomy, and Sclerotherapy. Except for complex vein work such as removal of blood clots from the legs and lungs, stenting the deep veins in the pelvis, etc., the treatment is performed in the office. More complex work and arterial vascular work is performed in the hospital or our surgery center.
Dr. Harrison obtained his B.A. Degree in Theology at Central Bible College in Springfield, Missouri. He attended the University of Arkansas for 4 years majoring In Analytical Chemistry at which time he achieved a 4.0 average and was chosen Analytical Chemist of the year. He began course work in the Masters program and was then accepted into the M.D., PhD programs at UAMS. After completing his M.D. Degree he completed a 3 year Residency in Internal Medicine followed by a 3 year Fellowship in Cardiology and later an Interventional Fellowship in Cardiology and Vascular Intervention. He elected to not pursue the PhD degree in Anatomy. He did further training in Vascular Intervention and was certified in complex Endovascular Intervention. He began treating both complex arterial and venous disease and later added treatment of superficial venous disease.
He co-founded the Stem Cell program at the Arkansas Heart Hospital and co-directed the Vascular Stem cell program. He also performed the first stem cell transplant in the world in the heart using the Mercator device. Over the past 30 years he has performed more than 8 first in man interventions in arteries of the heart and legs. He pioneered the retrograde pedal approach to open closed arteries in the legs under ultrasound in Arkansas. He has been an Investigator or lead Investigator in multiple large cardiac and vascular trials including the LIBERTY trial published in 2018, which is the largest trial in the world looking at critical limb ischemia with intervention.
Dr. Harrison has trained more than 200 physicians in vascular and coronary intervention, also trained cardiac fellows in the training program at the University Medical Center, published articles and research papers in major medical journals, presented at International conferences and sits on the faculty of several Interventional companies. He is currently program director of the Arkansas Amputation Prevention Center. He recently published (2019) a first in man research pilot study enrolling patients into a protocol looking at low frequency ultrasound treatment coupled with stem cell implantation in the legs of patients with the most severe vascular disease scheduled for amputation. This first in man study was in conjunction with the NIH and paralleled their study of animals which showed promising results.
Dr. Harrison is a member of the American College of Phlebology, International Society for Endovascular Specialists, Society for Vascular Medicine, and the International Society for Stem Cell Research.
He currently resides in Benton, Arkansas with his wife Renee. The have 5 grown children and 5 grandchildren. He resigned from the Arkansas Heart Hospital in 2015 to begin solo practice in Benton. His hospital practice now is with Saline Health System in Benton, Arkansas.
His hobbies in the past have been flying including flying aerobatic fighter jets, martial arts, and fishing.