A variety of procedures are available for A-fib patients. CONVERGENT PROCEDURE Norton Heart & Vascular Institute offers a Convergent procedure for A-fib patients with longstanding, persistent symptoms who either are not suitable for ablation or have had unsuccessful ablations. A Convergent procedure combines epicardial and endocardial ablation. The procedure is performed in two stages. First,…
Norton Heart & Vascular Institute Resource Center offers free heart-healthy lifestyle consultations with a registered nurse to heart patients and their families. During the one-on-one consultation, a cardiac nurse will check the patient’s body mass index, blood pressure and waist circumference and will discuss nutrition, exercise, risk factors and signs and symptoms that might suggest…
The latest update of the atrial fibrillation (A-fib) guidelines from the American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology and Heart Rhythm Society incorporated data regarding the novel anticoagulants (NOACs), updated the preferred risk assessment tool to the CHA2DS2-VASc score, and updated the data and recommendation level for A-fib ablation. KEY RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE UPDATED GUIDELINES…
Part of the five-year construction and renovation project at Norton Audubon Hospital has reached a significant milestone with the completion of a new tower. It opened in April and features 74 additional private patient rooms for intensive care, open heart and progressive cardiac care. Norton Healthcare is investing $125 million in the project, which focuses…
Norton Healthcare has established uniform protocols for the treatment of pulmonary embolism (PE). The move is intended to improve patient outcomes for the life-threatening condition that claims tens of thousands of lives each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Our goal was to create a systemwide approach with the same agreed-upon…
Norton Heart & Vascular Institute’s Peripheral Arterial Disease Supervised Exercise Therapy (SET) Program is a new program available for patients with symptomatic peripheral arterial disease. If you have a patient diagnosed with peripheral arterial disease (PAD), this program can be used after surgery, with your recommendation, to avoid further invasive treatment or as a means to…
Norton Healthcare is pleased to welcome Kelly C. McCants, M.D. back to the community, and have him lead the Norton Heart & Vascular Institute Advanced Heart Failure Program. Dr. McCants earned his medical degree from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. He completed his internal medicine residency and cardiology fellowship with the University of Louisville School of…
The American Heart Association (AHA) calls tPA the “gold standard” for treating ischemic strokes. AHA guidelines for the early management of acute ischemic stroke call for administering tPA as quickly as possible. Emergency physician Jeff A. Spain, M.D., has seen firsthand what a difference tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) can make in the treatment of ischemic strokes….