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Archive for the ‘Cardiac’ Category
Some will tell you that the best way to man’s heart is through his stomach. Ask your cardiologist and he might tell you that the best way is actually through cardiac catheterization. We all know that the heart is one of the most important organs in the body so having a healthy heart should be a part of everyone’s wellness plan. Cardiac catheterizations are one of the ways that doctors can get a better idea about how the heart is performing and find out if there are any potential problems that need to be addressed.
During a cardiac catheterization, doctors locate a vein in either the patient’s arm or leg. They insert a plastic catheter, which is in essence a tube, into the vein and use a camera that is in the catheter to guide it to the heart. Once the catheter is in place, doctors are able to test for multiple cardiac functions and get a solid picture of how healthy the patient’s heart is. This is done by injecting a dye into the bloodstream. Doctors can watch how the dye progresses through the heart and make some useful, and often life-saving, conclusions.
Cardiac Catheterization helps
- Detect disease in the heart muscle, heart valves and aorta
- Determine how well the heart and heart valves are pumping blood
- Determine whether a patient may need a more extensive cardiac procedure
- Show that a birth defect in the heart that should be addressed exists
Although this procedure might sound a little daunting, do not worry. Physicians have been performing variations of today’s procedure since 1929. As technology in general has advanced, the safety of cardiac catheterization has improved. Recent studies have shown that the risk of serious complications developing as a result of the procedure is at 2%. That meant that 98% of the time there are no major problems. Today, the process involves anesthetic to control any pain that the patient may experience. Fluids are also provided intravenously to keep the patient stable. Medical experts keep an eye on how the patient’s body is doing by way of monitoring heart functions through an EKG and a pulse oximeter. The EKG records the electrical activity of the heart and the pulse oximeter reports pulse and blood oxygen levels. In addition to technology, patients have experienced cardiologists, general practitioners and nurses present to monitor their well being.
Knowing what is going on in the body is one of the best ways to prevent trouble down the road. Medical tools such as cardiac catheterization provide doctors with knowledge of exactly what is going on in the body. This knowledge allows them to provide the best diagnoses for their patients. If your doctor recommends the procedure for you or a family member, it will be one of the best was to get accurate information about the condition of the heart.
If you would like to know more about cardiac catheterization, visit JFK Medical Center online. We host one of the most comprehensive cardiac catheterization centers in South Florida. If you have any other medical questions, call our Consult-A-Nurse® hotline at 1-866-4-HCA-DOCS.
The overall health of your heart is one of the most important health factors to consider. The heart regulates blood flow which is necessary to life. Improper circulation can cause a wide variety of health problems, so keeping the heart healthy should be on the top of your list of health goals.
Aerobic exercise is most important for increasing cardiovascular health. The word aerobic means “oxygen producing”. Oxygen is important because blood pumps oxygen throughout your body. Aerobic exercise is any kind of activity where you move around for an extended period of time. Three to four thirty minute periods of aerobic exercise per week should suffice for the aerobic portion of your exercise plan. (We will discuss anaerobic exercise at a different time) There are many things that you can do to get aerobic exercise, so there is something that everyone will enjoy.
- Jogging
- Hiking
- Bike Riding
- Swimming
- Playing Basketball
- Dancing
Aerobic exercise is great for your heart. It increases the rate at which your heart beats, making the heart muscle itself stronger. The stronger your heart, the better your overall health. In fact, studies have shown that
- A physically active person’s heart can pump the same amount of blood in 45 to 50 beats as an inactive person’s heart can do in 70 to 75 beats. That’s an incredible difference!
- Men who are the least fit are actually more likely to die from cardiovascular disease than active men who smoke. Considering smoking is a leading cause of cardiovascular disease, this statistic speaks for itself.
Exercise is one of the best things you can do to improve and maintain the health of your heart. It directly lowers blood pressure and reduces your risk of heart disease. It also helps those who are overweight slim down. The more you weigh, the harder your heart has to work to pump blood throughout your body. Fat is unnecessary body mass that causes unnecessary strain on your heart.
Be sure to be careful when you exercise. While the rewards for your heart, and the rest of your body for that matter, are great you don’t want to overdo it. Follow these steps when exercising:
- Warm Up- Stretch thoroughly and begin with mild activity. It is important to get your heart rate up to speed slowly. Starting too quickly can lead to cramps and poor overall exercise.
- Exercise- This part is fairly obvious. It is when you are running, swimming or taking part in your aerobic exercise of choice. This is when your heart and body actually receive the benefits of your chosen activity.
- Cool Down- After a workout, you need to bring your heart rate back to normal. Reduce the intensity of your exercise without completely stopping. This will help your heart return to a normal pace and is the best way to finish an aerobic workout.
If you have any questions about heart health or exercise, visit JFK Medical center online or call Consult-A-Nurse® at 1-866-4-HCA-DOCS.
Your body has over 600 muscles. What’s the most important? Your heart, which delivers the oxygen and nutrients that sustain the rest of your body. Heart attack, heart disease, and other cardiovascular conditions drastically diminish the heart’s ability to perform this vital task. Cardiac rehabilitation offers patients a way to improve the function and health of their heart, but researchers are finding that patients increasingly skip out on this component of treatment.
Do I Really Need Rehab?
Patients who experience an orthopedic injury know that they’ll need physical therapy as they heal. After all, it takes time to strengthen those weakened muscles and prevent further injury. The same is true for your heart. Whether patients need to recover from a cardiac event or prepare for a transplant, cardiac rehabilitation is an important step in the treatment process. The doctor works with each patient to tailor a rehabilitation program that addresses a wide variety of needs:
· Guidance on heart-healthy nutrition that accounts for the patient’s other nutritional needs
· Assistance with smoking cessation or referrals to community-based programs
· Counseling on the patient’s medical condition, the recovery process, and the proper use of any prescription medications
· Support for returning to work when the time comes
· Supervision for an exercise program, which is structured based on the patient’s individual needs and activity level
Benefits of Cardiac Rehabilitation
Ultimately the purpose of cardiac rehabilitation is to provide the support that each patient needs to recover fully and improve overall quality of life. Rehabilitation helps patients significantly reduce their risk for cardiovascular complications, by giving them the tools and skills to make healthy lifestyle decisions. Patients who complete their rehabilitation program enjoy multiple health benefits:
- Reduced risk of heart disease or heart attack recurrence
- Decreased risk of other medical conditions that hinge on cardiovascular health, diet and nutrition, and other lifestyle factors (such as Type 2 diabetes or lung cancer)
- Speedier recovery from surgery or other heart treatments
- The potential to slow or even reverse the damage of heart disease
Patients with virtually any cardiac condition can benefit from rehabilitation. It’s generally recommended for patients who have congestive or chronic heart failure, angina pectoris, a heart transplant, bypass surgery, or a pacemaker. It’s also highly recommended for patients who suffer a STEMI, the deadliest form of heart attack, and receive balloon angioplasty (PCTA). Any patient who suffers a cardiac event also usually needs rehabilitation.
If you have questions about cardiac rehabilitation or other cardiovascular care, please contact us at Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point. Visit us online or call Consult-a-Nurse® at (727) 869-5498 for answers to your questions and free physician referrals.
Take yourself back to south Chicago in 1893. Yes a different era for all of us, but one night in July of that year a new era in medicine began. A man was rushed to a hospital after having been stabbed in the chest. Daniel Hale, the attending surgeon, was brought in to save the man’s life. Hale made the decision to operate on the man’s heart and stitch the wound. Such a procedure had not been performed before and no one had any idea if it would be an effective means to saving the patient. Fifty-one days after the surgery the patient walked out of the hospital on his own accord and proceeded to live another fifty years. Open heart surgery was born. Today, open heart surgery is relatively common and it is likely that you know someone who has undergone the procedure.
Who Needs Open Heart Surgery
Your physician will decide exactly which cardiovascular procedure is right for you depending upon your condition. In some cases open heart surgery may not be necessary and your physician may recommend a less invasive procedure. If you are however a candidate for open heart surgery, there are some factors that link these procedures. Broadly defined, open heart surgery is any of the procedures in which the chest is opened and the heart muscle itself, or any of the valves or arteries that facilitate heart function, are operated on or replaced. Cardiovascular health is obviously key to blood flow and these procedures can lengthen and save lives. Some of the more common open heart surgery procedures include but are not limited to:
· Coronary Artery Bypass Graft(revascularization)- In this procedure, healthy blood vessels are taken from one part of your body and are used to replace or patch failing blood vessels that connect to the heart. These blood vessels provide an outlet for blood flow throughout the body.
· Heart Valve Procedures- Sometimes heart valves, the portions of your heart that provide the pumping action for blood flow, become blocked or leak. In either case the valve needs to be replaced. Replacements can be biological, coming from a donor, or mechanical depending upon your needs and donor availability. Northwest Medical Center is capable of multiple procedures which increase heart based circulation.
· Heart Transplant- In the event that the heart is no longer capable of regulating cardiovascular processes, doctors may opt to replace the heart altogether. If a matching donor is available patients will receive another human heart. In some cases due to recent technological advances, mechanical hearts have been used to replace biological ones
What to Expect
Open heart surgery can sound daunting, but knowing what to expect can ease the process.
1.) After consultation you will be admitted to the hospital in the day or days before your procedure. Tests will be administered to make sure you are healthy enough for the procedure such as: EKGs, chest X-Rays and blood work.
2.) Most surgeries will take between three and five hours.
3.) After the operation you will be in the ICU where you will be constantly monitored by our medical professionals. After that you will move back to a traditional room where recovery will continue.
4.) Your physician will provide you with instructions as to what you need to do at the hospital and after you go home to facilitate complete recovery.
Rest assured, after recovery most patients who had open heart surgery feel better than they did before the operation. As always your well being is our utmost concern. For more information Northwest Medical Center can be reached at 954-974-0400 or visit us here.
Medical technology is constantly evolving, particularly in terms of diagnosis and treatment for heart disease and heart attack. The latest available options for these heart conditions are called cardiac interventions. Performed in a specialized cardiac catheterization lab, cardiac interventions offer timely, minimally invasive diagnosis and treatment options.
Types of Cardiac Interventions
During a cardiac catheterization, the doctor inserts a long, thin tube (the catheter) into an artery, usually the one in the patient’s groin. The catheter is threaded up to the heart. Depending on the patient’s condition, the cardiologist may then perform several different procedures:
- Coronary Angiogram: The catheter inserted during a coronary angiogram allows the cardiologist to get a more complete picture of the heart. Special dye is inserted into the catheter and travels to the muscles of the heart. The dye makes any blockages or narrow places much more visible, so that the doctor can determine the most appropriate treatment.
- Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI): Used to unblock the arteries of the heart, PCI uses a balloon at the end of the catheter to loosen and remove plaque that blocks the artery. Once the catheter is in place, the doctor inflates the balloon, breaking up the plaque. This procedure may also be called a balloon angioplasty. Doctors often place a stent in the artery afterward, to hold it open as it heals.
- Rotational Atherectomy: If calcium has built up in the artery, a balloon angioplasty may not be sufficient to remove it. In that case, the cardiologist uses a highly specialized tool to chip away at the calcium deposits and open up the artery. This procedure is also generally considered a type of PCI.
Who Needs Cardiac Intervention
Doctors can use cardiac intervention to both diagnose and to treat specific heart conditions. If your doctor believes that you may have dangerous blockages in your arteries, he or she may recommend a coronary angiogram. The minimally invasive procedure can help determine the extent of blockage and whether further intervention is needed.
Most patients who receive cardiac interventions are those who have heart attacks. For the most deadly kind of heart attack, called STEMI, emergency PCI is the most effective treatment option. The American Heart Association and other professional medical organizations note that STEMI time, or the time it takes for a patient to receive cardiac intervention after setting foot in the hospital, must be under 90 minutes to guarantee the best patient outcomes. At Lawnwood Regional Medical Center and Heart Institute, our STEMI times consistently beat the national standard.
It’s important for patients to know that not every hospital has a cardiac catheterization lab. On the contrary, only a small percentage of hospitals have these highly specialized facilities and the medical experts on staff to perform the procedure.
If you have questions about cardiac interventions or heart health, please contact us at Lawnwood Regional Medical Center and Heart Institute. Visit us online or call Consult-a-Nurse® at 1-800-382-3522.
Atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia in the United States. It affects approximately 2 million people. The condition occurs when the heart beats too rapidly, placing extra strain on the heart muscles and circulatory system. Advances in medicine mean that patients with atrial fibrillation have multiple treatment options.
Diagnosing Atrial Fibrillation
Detecting any kind of arrhythmia, including atrial fibrillation, uses the tools of electrophysiology, which tracks the electrical impulses that cause the heart to beat. The condition may be diagnosed with an electrocardiogram (ECG) or Holter monitor. Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point has teams of electrophysiology experts on hand to help patients get the diagnosis and care they need.
Treating Atrial Fibrillation
A specialized team of cardiology experts works together to determine the best treatment plan for each atrial fibrillation patient. Typical treatments include non-surgical procedures;ablation; medication; implantation of a pacemaker or other medical device; and surgery. Usually patients will need a blend of treatment options to totally correct the arrhythmia.
The Heart Institute at Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point boasts one of the most advanced cardiac care centers in the area. With full Chest Pain accreditation from the Society of Chest Pain Centers and a Certificate of Distinction in the Management of Primary Stroke from The Joint Commission, we are well equipped to diagnose and treat any cardiac condition, including atrial fibrillation.
If you have questions about atrial fibrillation or other cardiac conditions, please contact us at Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point. Visit us online or call Consult-a-Nurse® at 727-869-5498 for answers to your questions and free physician referrals.