The patient An 18-year-old male with a history of heart transplantation for cardiomyopathy after a durable ventricular assist device presented with progressive cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) and severe diastolic graft failure. The patient presented to the cardiac intensive care unit after a recovered cardiac arrest in extremis with impending multiorgan failure. He initially underwent placement…
Myocarditis represents a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in pediatric patients, yet its clinical presentation can be deceptively subtle. As inflammation of the heart muscle and conduction system, myocarditis affects the heart’s ability to contract effectively and maintain normal rhythm, potentially leading to sudden cardiac death even in previously healthy children. Epidemiology and risk…
Norton Heart & Vascular Institute and UK HealthCare Gill Heart & Vascular Institute joined forces to present a timely and insightful continuing medical education session, “Advancing Heart Failure Care: Innovation Meets Equity.” The session explored the latest advancements in heart failure management while emphasizing the critical need to address disparities in care. This collaboration highlights…
Chest pain in pediatric patients is a common complaint, yet less than 5% of cases are due to cardiac disease. However, providers always should conduct a broad differential diagnosis and remain aware of red-flag symptoms indicating possible cardiac involvement, referring patients to cardiology for further testing and evaluation as needed. Common causes of pediatric chest…
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Cardiac centers around the world are accepting patients for a clinical trial for patients undergoing cardiac surgery that may have risk factors for atrial fibrillation (A-fib) and ischemic stroke.
According to the American Heart Association, cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in women. Approximately 1 in 4 women will develop atrial fibrillation (AF), and women with AF are at greater risk for stroke than men who have it. Megan E. Gruber, D.O., brings her expertise in electrophysiology and cardiovascular care to the…
The electrophysiology team at Norton Heart & Vascular Institute has implanted the city’s first dual chamber leadless pacemaker. What makes this device unique is its size, absence of leads that connect the device to a controller and ability to implant it with a minimally invasive procedure. The Aveir DR consists of two leadless pacemakers that are implanted into the…
Amy DiPietro, M.D., is a pediatric cardiologist with Norton Children’s Heart Institute, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine. She presented a continuing medical education lecture on pediatrics and dyslipidemia. Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 cause of death in the United States and is the most common cause of mortality in developing countries. While…
Atrial fibrillation (A-fib) is the most common arrhythmia in adults — more than 8 million Americans have some classification of A-fib. Of those, researchers estimate about 70% have either persistent A-fib or long-standing persistent A-fib. “A-fib is a serious and growing problem in this country, with over a million cases diagnosed annually,” said Kent E….
Heart failure centers are accepting patients for a clinical trial of a minimally invasive therapy for heart patients with reduced ejection fraction. Norton Heart & Vascular Institute is the only site in Kentucky or Indiana participating in the CORCINCH-HF study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the AccuCinch Ventricular Restoration System. The implanted device…
Diagnosing chest pain symptoms is a common occurrence in the primary care setting. Approximately 1% of all visits to primary care are related to chest pain, but rarely are these visits due to an acute coronary syndrome, according to Arpit Agrawal, M.D., cardiologist with Norton Heart & Vascular Institute. Acute chest pain often needs to be…
Patients who have been pregnant and especially those who had complicated pregnancies are at higher risk for cardiovascular disease, but the condition typically arises 10 or 15 years after the pregnancy. Patients are screened months after their pregnancy for cardiovascular disease, but as the patient ages, pregnancy is a very important part of their medical…