Clear Heart Insight for Patients, Families, and the Future of Cardiovascular Care
Trusted, unbiased education about your heart—designed for Northern Colorado and beyond.
“What This Website Stands For”
Why we are here……..
Our Vision and Our Mission
Cardiovascular care is powerful—but often overwhelming. Most patients don’t fully understand their diagnosis, testing, medications, or procedures until the moment they are going through them.
This website was built to bridge that knowledge gap.
It delivers trustworthy, unbiased heart education across all major subspecialties:
- General cardiology
- Electrophysiology
- Interventional cardiology
- Structural heart
- Vascular medicine
Whether someone needs help understanding an abnormal ECG, AFib, chest pain evaluation, stents, TAVR, PAD, or venous disease, the goal is simple:
Give patients and families the clarity they deserve.
Why It Matters
Most cardiac decisions are made quickly—sometimes in moments of fear or confusion. Clear education helps patients feel prepared, reduce anxiety, improve outcomes, and make more confident choices.
This entire site is designed to be:
- Easy to understand (no medical jargon or confusing explanations)
- Clinically accurate (based on guidelines and evidence)
- Independent and unbiased (no hospital or industry affiliation)
“STORY IN NUMBERS” — BROAD CARDIOVASCULAR + EP STATS
These are accurate, patient-facing statistics sourced from ACC/AHA, HRS, SCAI, and vascular literature.
Cardiovascular Disease
Heart disease affects 1 in 3 adults in the U.S.
~50% of men and women will develop some form of cardiovascular disease in their lifetimes.
18 million Americans have coronary artery disease.
Testing & Diagnostic Evaluation
25–30% of cardiology patients receive a stress test or imaging study each year.
Cardiac CT angiography use has increased four-fold in the last decade.
Echocardiography is used in >65% of new cardiology evaluations.
Electrophysiology
AFib affects ~9% of adults over 65.
Lifetime risk of AFib is 1 in 4.
EP ablation success rates are 70–80% for AFib and >90% for SVT.
Pacemakers improve symptoms in >90% of patients with conduction disease.
Interventional Cardiology
Over 600,000 stent procedures are performed annually in the U.S.
Stents reduce angina symptoms in 70–90% of patients.
Radial artery access is now used in 70%+ of PCI procedures for safety.
Structural Heart
TAVR is now used in >80% of aortic valve replacements in older adults.
MitraClip improves symptoms and life quality in ~90% of appropriate patients.
Watchman/Amulet is used in ~15% of high-risk AFib patients.
Vascular
Peripheral artery disease affects >8.5 million adults in the U.S.
PAD interventions improve walking distance by 50–200%.
Deep vein thrombosis occurs in 800,000+ Americans yearly.
Why This Education Matters
Patients who understand their condition are 40% more likely to follow treatment plans.
Pre-procedure education reduces anxiety by up to 50%.
Clear guidance improves patient satisfaction in 70–80% of visits.
TAVR is now used in > 80% of Aortic Valve Replacements in older adults
AFIB ablation – PFA – PULSE Field Ablation has success rates of 70-80% of NO AFIB in one year for PAF
Mitral Clip improves symptoms and life quality in almost 90% of appropriate patients
Good to know….
EP ablation success rates are 70–80% for AFib and >90% for SVT
Patients who understand their condition are 40% more likely to follow treatment plans.
Pre-procedure education reduces anxiety by up to 50%.
Clear guidance improves patient satisfaction in 70–80% of visits.
Your Complete Guide to the Heart — Simple, Trusted, Evidence-Based
Clear education across the full spectrum of heart and vascular care, with a special focus on arrhythmias and electrophysiology.
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“About the Physician Behind NoCo Cardiology”
NoCo Cardiology was created by David Bicknell, D.O., M.S., a board-certified cardiac electrophysiologist with more than 20 years of experience in cardiovascular medicine and over a decade of leadership in EP program development. Dr. Bicknell currently practices in Northern Colorado, where he provides electrophysiology care across the region. His career reflects a consistent commitment to clinical excellence, program building, medical education, and improving patient access to clear, trustworthy cardiovascular information.
Dr. Bicknell’s academic background is rooted in a strong foundation in biochemistry and molecular biology (B.S. and M.S., University of Illinois at Chicago), followed by medical training at Des Moines University, where he earned his Doctor of Osteopathy degree. His postgraduate training includes internal medicine, fellowships in cardiovascular diseases and heart failure/transplant, and an advanced electrophysiology fellowship at the University of Kansas—one of the nation’s leading EP programs. Throughout his training, he also served as Chief Cardiology Fellow, overseeing education, scheduling, and program operations for multiple fellowship classes.
Professionally, Dr. Bicknell has held EP leadership roles for more than a decade. Before his current work in Colorado, he served as Director of the Electrophysiology Lab and EP Section at Doctors Hospital within OhioHealth, where he built a full-service ablation program from the ground up—including AFib ablation, ventricular tachycardia ablation, device implantation, and complex left atrial mapping workflows. He led the development of an EP lab, trained nurses and technologists, educated fellows and residents, and supported one of the Midwest’s largest cardiology networks.
His early career in the Chicago area further shaped his understanding of community practice and private practice operations. Working across six hospitals with Cardiac EP Consultants, Dr. Bicknell supported a large catchment area, helped initiate lead extraction programs, participated in multidisciplinary staff development, and gained firsthand experience in operational, financial, and administrative components of cardiovascular care delivery. That blend of private-practice business acumen and academic teaching experience informs the balanced, patient-centered approach behind this website.
Education has always been one of Dr. Bicknell’s core passions. He has taught medical students, residents, cardiology fellows, and advanced practice providers, and he continues to provide structured EP and cardiology instruction as part of his clinical roles. His background includes volunteer faculty work at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine, mission trips as a physician leader in Honduras and Guatemala, and participation in national EP leadership development programs. These experiences directly shape the teaching style of NoCo Cardiology—clear, structured, visually oriented, and free of jargon.
In addition to his clinical and educational work, Dr. Bicknell is currently completing a Master of Business Administration (MBA) at Colorado State University, with expected graduation in May 2026. He is earning dual certificates in Finance and Leadership, with coursework in digital marketing, business analytics, organizational leadership, compensation strategy, supply chain, and service-line optimization. This academic training builds on his years of EP and cardiology leadership and supports his broader goal of improving cardiovascular systems, patient education, and clinician development across Northern Colorado.
NoCo Cardiology reflects the intersection of these experiences—clinical expertise, teaching dedication, leadership training, and a passion for demystifying complex cardiovascular topics. This platform is designed not only for patients and families, but for nurses, technologists, APPs, medical trainees, and physicians seeking accessible, practical cardiovascular knowledge. It is a continuation of Dr. Bicknell’s belief that education is a core component of better patient outcomes and stronger cardiovascular communities.