The Selma Heart Institute broke ground Monday for an expansion intended to improve the level of cardiac care available to residents of Dallas County and the surrounding area.

The new facility will be located on Medical Center Parkway, between Mutual Savings and Vaughan Regional Medical Center. It is scheduled to be completed around March.

The institute is headed by Dr. Seydi Aksut, Selma’s only interventional cardiologist.

According to Pam Cunningham, an R.N. and registered cardiovascular technician at the institute, the new facility will provide an improved ability to conduct nuclear stress exams for heart patients.

Such exams detect any blockages in blood vessels in the heart.

If a blockage is detected, the most commonly used procedure to correct it is a coronary angioplasty, in which tiny balloons or stents are inserted into the blood vessel to clear the blockage.

Currently, those patients needing a coronary angioplasty must travel to Montgomery or elsewhere to seek care. While that won’t change immediately when the new facility is completed, Watkins said the institute may begin to offer the procedure in the near future.

Cunningham said the facility currently serves more than 5,000 patients.