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…
Norton Heart & Vascular Institute welcomes Keith A. McLean, M.D., cardiologist, to Norton King’s Daughters’ Health in Madison, Indiana. The office is located in the Norton King’s Daughters’ Health Downtown Medical Building at 630 N. Broadway. With the addition of Dr. McLean, the office will have three providers seeing patients Monday through Friday. Dr. McLean…
We know it’s a stressful time for parents when they learn their child will be born with a congenital heart condition, and it is normal for patients to want to seek a second opinion. Other providers may encourage a second opinion, and we welcome patients seeking second opinions at Norton Children’s Heart Institute, affiliated with…
Dominick Smith spent the first week of summer break at Norton Children’s Hospital. While it wasn’t the ideal way to wrap up the school year, the junior from Petersburg, Indiana, was grateful. On the last day of school, a doctor discovered Dominick had an aortic aneurysm with aortic dissection — a potentially fatal time bomb…
Kevin A. Graham, M.D., a cardiothoracic surgeon, has joined Norton Heart & Vascular Institute. Dr. Graham, who earned his medical degree from Indiana University, Indianapolis, and completed his residency there, has been practicing in Illinois. Dr. Graham has participated in the Summit trial, Optimize Pro study, Early TAVR trial and, as site principal investigator, the…
Ischemic heart disease in women can lead to a heart attack, but this risk may go unnoticed. This is because a patient’s diagnostic coronary angiogram shows “clear” arteries. “When diagnosing women for ischemic heart disease, it is important to consider risk factors specific to women — and those that pose a greater risk to women,”…
The risks and consequences of hypertension in women differ from those in men and change throughout women’s lifetimes. Overall, hypertension in women is less prevalent than in men until age 60 and becomes more prevalent afterward. This pattern may be the result of longer life expectancy, postmenopausal hypertension and lower response rate to treatment. “Understanding…
Norton Heart & Vascular Institute launched a Women’s Heart Program in 1995. Today it has expanded to include more providers and services for a region where heart disease, especially in women, is a deadly issue. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, taking the…