Posted on August 21, 2012
We have all been told about the social and emotional differences between the sexes, but did you know that gender also plays an important role in your heart health? While men suffer heart attacks more often than women, the symptoms of a heart attack present differently in women. This article will review what the symptomatic differences are. The distinctions are important to learn because they could save your life or the life of a loved one.
The Matter of Time
Men typically have heart attacks after age 45. Women aren
Posted on August 16, 2012
NYC Cardiologist
There are a lot of ailments that affect the form and function of the heart. Some of these ailments are contractible while others are genetic. Marfan syndrome is an atypical disorder that causes connective tissue in the body to be weaker than it normally is. There is a direct correlation between this form of tissue weakness and how well the heart and blood vessels work.
What triggers Marfan syndrome?
Marfan syndrome is caused by a defective gene. Domestically; 50,000 people are diagnosed with this condition annually. It is not gender specific and is passed from parent to child. For this reason, doctors recommend talking to a New York Cardiologist and a genetics counselor before Marfan patients begin having children. In about 25% of cases neither parent has the gene, meaning the condition stems from a reproductive mutation.
What are the risks to the heart and blood vessels?
The Marfan defect inhibits protein production within connective tissues. Without enough protein; tissues, arteries, and blood vessels will weaken. The aorta is the source of the body
Posted on August 13, 2012
Arrhythmias are nothing new. In fact, the majority of us will experience mild irregularities in our heartbeat from time to time. These fluctuations are harmless and do not require the intervention of a cardiologist. NY Heart Clinics have noted the increased rate of cardiovascular problems among the local population. For this reason, they are dedicated to getting life-saving information out to the public. This article will focus on a specific type of arrhythmia called Sick Sinus Syndrome.
What causes Sick Sinus Syndrome?
There is a particular node located on the upper right side of your heart. The SA Node controls the rate of the electrical impulses that precipitate a heartbeat. If the node begins to malfunction it can increase, decrease, or cause severe fluctuations in your heart rate.
The condition progresses slowly over a period of years. It is commonly diagnosed in patients over 50, although it is also a known side effect of pediatric open heart surgery.
What are the signs/symptoms?
Many patients don
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Did you know your heart is actually a muscle? In fact, it
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Heart Doctors
Our body is a complex system of function and interconnected relationships. Small changes or defects in an otherwise healthy heart, and other physical malfunctions soon follow. Recently, an NY heart doctor gave some insight into how important a fit heart is. Take for instance, the pericardium.
The pericardium is the thin membrane surrounding your heart, but this membrane does more than meets the eye. Its outer layer protects the origin of your heart’s major blood vessels. Ligaments connect it to your spinal column, diaphragm, and other parts of your body. Another layer of the membrane is attached to your heart muscle. In between the two layers there
Posted on August 9, 2012
Cardiologist NYC Choosing The Best Cardiologist
Most people know that heart disease is a broad-spectrum diagnosis, but what they may not realize is that the diagnosis can be narrowed down using simple auditory tests.
What are auditory tests?
Auditory tests are a battery of diagnostic cues that can be identified using sensory-based detection.
A New York City Cardiologist-along with other colleagues in the field-can often find murmurs, arrhythmias, valve malfunctions, and other cardiovascular conditions; just be listening to the heart. The potential of this method may surprise you. There
Posted on August 6, 2012
Atrial Fibrillation usually isn’t life-threatening, but it considered is a medical emergency. Treatment for this condition is taken very seriously. The treatment goals for Atrial Fibrillation are two-fold. First, it works to reset or control your heart
Posted on July 30, 2012
Dr. Seldon, a Heart Doctor and Cardiologist in New York City, offers same day appointments and all testing is done on site. Call us at (212) 367-8000.
Here He explains Open Heart Surgery 101
An LVAD Implant involves 6 to 8 hours of open heart surgery. You will be under full sedation for the length of the operation. A ventilator will help you breath during the procedure. After the initial incision is made, your chest will be opened to expose your heart. Since your heart is stopped during surgery, you’ll be put on a heart-lung bypass machine to keep your blood circulating properly.
Recovery
You will be admitted to the ICU for several days post-op. A ventilator, IV, catheter, and chest tubes will keep you stable. Afterwards, you’ll be moved to a standard hospital room.You will start a physical therapy and daily activity regiment. Beginning with minimal tasks; sitting up, standing, walking a short distance. The activity level will build as you gain strength back.
A Left Ventricular Assist Device, or LVAD, is one of the most intriguing advances in the cardiovascular procedures currently available to heart patients. Often referred to as a “bridge to transplant”; this life-saving device helps extend the quality of a person’s life while they wait for a cardiac transplant. But how much do you know about the surgery itself? This article will help explain the basics of the procedure.
Two different LVAD models are used in these cardiovascular procedures:
1. LVAD Pump-works like your heart; circulating blood via a pumping action.
2. Continuous Stream LVAD-controls a continuous stream of blood in the heart.
Once your LVAD implantation is completed and tested, doctors will take you off bypass, and the next stage begins.Treatment
Cardiovascular procedures like the LVAD Implant have to be monitored daily while you are hospitalized. These are the methods doctors use:• Blood thinners and antibiotics to prevent complications/infections.
• Blood tests for LVAD/kidney function.
• Pulse checks; device(s) can cause abnormal pulse.
As with all cardiovascular procedures; pre and post-operative care, as well as discharge instructions should be discussed with your cardiac care team.
Posted on July 27, 2012
Heart disease can be brought on by many factors. Any heart doc, Manhattan-based or otherwise, will tell you that some of these factors are in your control and others are not. Lifestyle changes are common for heart patients, but how much do you know about the cardiovascular problems caused by damage to the organ itself? This article will examine the effects of one such cause; Rheumatic heart disease (RHD).
Heart Doctors Manhattan
If a person contracts rheumatic fever and the on-set is acute, it can cause long term cardiac valve damage. This valve damage is known as RHD. The disease leads to heart failure.
Acute rheumatic fever leads to heart failure because it inflames almost the entire heart. This inflammation is called carditis.
There are three main portions of the heart that are affected by carditis:
1. The pericardium, or exterior, of the heart
2. The heart muscle
3. The endocardia, or interior, of the heart
What are the symptoms of carditis?
A heart doc-Manhattan trained-will be familiar with the interior and exterior cardiac inflammation caused by this type of fever. They know the tell-tale signs of RHD to watch for. If the fever leads to chronic valve disease, the damage will get progressively worse. Repeated episodes of Rheumatic Fever will accelerate the valve deterioration.
The endocarditis that causes RHD differs from its infectious counterpart since it is not precipitated by a direct cardiac bacterial infection. By contrast, the endocarditis in rheumatic fever is triggered by an autoimmune response to strep throat.
When does RHD begin to affect the heart?
RHD typically affects about half of the people who had rheumatic fever with carditis. Due to the prolonged nature of the inflammatory damage, it can take 10 to 20 years for RHD to develop after it’s triggered by the fever.
To find out how you can keep this condition in check, contact a local heart doc. Manhattan has many board-certified cardiologists to choose from.
Dr. Seldon, a Heart Doctor and Cardiologist in New York City, offers same day appointments and all testing is done on site. Call us at (212) 367-8000.
Posted on July 25, 2012
Any irregularity in your heart’s natural rhythm is known as an arrhythmia. It’s natural for your heart to skip or flutter at times and these mild, small palpitations are not life-threatening. But there is another group of heart patients-over 4 million of them in fact-with recurrent arrhythmias, and they could be facing arrhythmia surgery.
How is arrhythmia treated?
Drug therapy is the first phase of treatment. If that does not prove to be effective, interventional procedures are implemented.
• Ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation can be treated via ICD. This is a device that uses electric impulses or a shock to restore a normal rhythm. The device’s power source is implanted in a subcutaneous pouch in your chest or the area above your stomach.
• An electronic pacemaker can be used to slow your heart rate. The pacemaker is surgically implanted near the collarbone. The pacemaker’s batteries supply emulates the effects of your heart’s natural function.
• Radiofrequency ablation is a procedure that maps the electrical pathways of the heart. Under mild sedation, a catheter is threaded through a vein and guided to your heart, where doctors utilize high-frequency radio waves to destroy source of the arrhythmia.
Arrhythmia surgery is used as a last resort, if you are not responding to the treatment protocol.
• Surgical ablation uses computerized mapping technology. Surgeons can find out which cells are acting as catalysts and eliminate the tissue with a cold probe to destroy them.
• In Atrial Fibrillation (AF) surgery, surgeons create a number of incisions in the atrium to block the unpredictable electrical impulses that cause the condition.
• Ventricular resection involves removing the area in the cardiac muscle where the arrhythmia originates.
In mild cases of rhythm irregularity, no treatment is needed. Most people with an arrhythmia lead normal, active lives. Often, avoiding substances like caffeine and alcohol are enough to manage the arrhythmia.
For more information on arrhythmia surgery, please contact a Cardiologist.
Dr. Seldon, a Heart Doctor and Cardiologist in New York City, offers same day appointments and all testing is done on site. Call us at (212) 367-8000.
