By Kim Huston From working in a genetics lab to teaching yoga, Melissa Lee Perrotta, M.D., has found a way to blend all of her passions into one career. Her drive to understand and solve complex medical issues and her interest in integrative healing have led her to caring for patients with adult congenital heart…
For Mostafa El-Refai, M.D., interventional cardiology is the best of both worlds. He gets to develop long-term relationships with patients and their families. He also gets to perform emergency stenting procedures to open blocked coronary arteries after heart attacks. “Interventional cardiology gets my blood rushing a little bit because we get to treat patients with…
Sofya Kuznetsov, M.D., who is board certified and fellowship trained in clinical cardiac electrophysiology and cardiovascular disease, has joined Norton Heart & Vascular Institute. Dr. Kuznetsov completed her clinical cardiac electrophysiology fellowship at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center in Ohio, where she was chief fellow. She completed her cardiovascular fellowship at University Hospitals Case Medical…
By Chris L. Johnsrude, M.D. It is important to understand that sometimes a recorded heart rate can confirm if a child or teenager is in supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), but not always. SVT is a common cause of abnormally fast heartbeats in children and teenagers, but the range of heart rates in SVT is pretty broad….
The new Atrial Fibrillation Clinic at Norton Heart & Vascular Institute Heart Rhythm Center is accepting referrals for newly diagnosed patients, those with paroxysmal or persistent symptomatic atrial fibrillation (A-fib) and patients who are having difficulty with their current treatment. The clinic is designed for evaluation, diagnosis and advanced treatment for A-fib. Kent E. Morris,…
Norton Healthcare hospitals were recognized today during a presentation by the American Heart Association with Mission: Lifeline Gold Plus and Gold awards for the treatment of patients who experience severe heart attacks. The American Heart Association also presented Norton Healthcare with the Mission Lifeline: Regional Trailblazer Award. The award recognized Norton Healthcare for serving as…
In 2011, Norton Children’s Heart Institute identified an area where we could improve the care provided to families in our region. We have been working hard to make things better ever since. We reviewed the records of all babies who had heart surgery at Norton Children’s Hospital. We found that only about one-third of the…
Heart disease kills more Americans than any other disease, and according to the American Heart Association, African Americans may face a higher risk for heart disease compared with other groups. Kelly C. McCants, M.D., cardiologist and medical director of Norton Heart & Vascular Institute Advanced Heart Failure Program, said uncontrolled high blood pressure is the…
Audrey Sims’ first clue that her twins’ birth would be complicated came at 14 weeks of pregnancy, when a routine ultrasound found that one of her sons, Aiden, had a cystic hygroma, a fluid collection on the neck. Audrey’s OB/GYN at King’s Daughters’ Hospital in Madison, Indiana, referred Audrey and her husband, Andrew, to Norton…
Norton Children’s Heart Institute, affiliated with the University of Louisville, includes an expansive outreach service, with 29 participating sites in the region. These sites, throughout Kentucky and Southern Indiana, link directly to Norton Children’s Hospital and the specialists at Norton Children’s Heart Institute. Technicians perform echocardiograms on patients from in utero to young adults to…
If you have a patient with a congenital heart disease, you want to make sure he or she gets quality care. But it’s also comforting to know your patient will be well supported and guided through the often complex world of specialist medical care. Stacie Hartlage, R.N., is nurse navigator with Norton Children’s Heart Institute,…
Follow these advanced heart failure signs that indicate your patient may benefit from VAD/heart transplant evaluation LVEF <40% Inability to walk one block without shortness of breath Intolerance of beta blockers Intolerance of ACEi/ARBs Inotrope dependence Progressive renal insufficiency Cardiac index <2.2 l/min BNP or NT-proBNP > 5x normal (BNP > 1000) One heart-failure-related hospitalization…