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…
A heavyset, 51-year-old truck driver with a history of hypertension presented at Norton Heart & Vascular Institute with four months of intermittent, sharp, substernal chest pain that was exacerbated by activity and becoming increasingly frequent. Should he be evaluated with anatomic or functional testing? Updated clinical practice guidelines offer guidance on whether to choose coronary…
Atrial fibrillation, or A-fib, is an increasingly common chronic condition seen in the primary care setting. Management is multifaceted and requires a team-based approach. Risk for A-fib increases with age and is greater if there is a family history. Modifiable risk factors for A-fib are obesity, diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, and excessive caffeine or alcohol…
Different substrate mapping techniques are available to identify myocardial sites for catheter ablation in ventricular tachycardia (VT) patients. A recent study has for the first time looked at how well they work compared with one another. Published in the journal Heart Rhythm, the study, “Comparison of Combined Substrate-based Mapping Techniques to Identify Critical Sites for…
Surgeons face two choices for infants with critical left heart obstruction who have had prior hybrid palliation: a Norwood operation or a comprehensive stage II (COMPSII). The critical left heart obstruction cohort of the multi-institutional Congenital Heart Surgeons’ Society looked at patient characteristics and outcomes for these two pathways. The study, “Norwood Operation Versus Comprehensive…
The patient A 4-year-old girl presented with congenital heart disease consisting of partial atrioventricular canal defect. Surgical repair was necessary. The challenge Injury to the cardiac conduction system during cardiac surgery may result in complete heart block in 25% of patients with the most complex congenital heart defects. The injury interrupts the electrical signals transmitted from…