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…
The patient In July 2022, a 45-year-old male with a six-year history of chest pain went to the emergency room complaining of chest discomfort and shortness of breath over the previous two weeks. He was evaluated by Jacqueline Gray, APRN, and no markers of heart attack were found. Previously, nuclear stress single-photon emission computerized tomography…
Diet and exercise many times are not enough to lower the risk of hyperlipidemia (HLD). As we’ve learned over the years, genetics can play the biggest role. Fortunately, we now have treatments we didn’t have only a few years ago, giving options for patients who previously had none. At Norton Heart & Vascular Institute’s Lipid…
When symptoms of heart failure begin progressing or patients start decompensating, there is a brief opportunity for referral to an advanced heart failure center. The American Heart Association calls this the “golden window.” Primary care providers and others should consider referring a patient to the Norton Heart & Vascular Institute’s Advanced Heart Failure & Recovery…
Newly diagnosed heart failure patients have a three-month window of care crucial to their likelihood of recovery. The difference can be returning to a normal life versus awaiting a heart transplant or mechanical circulatory support with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD). In that three-month window, the heart can respond well to a neurohormonal blockade,…
Lauren R. Albers, M.D., has joined Norton Heart & Vascular Institute to focus on women’s cardiology. Dr. Albers, who completed her fellowship in cardiovascular medicine at the UofL School of Medicine, joins the Norton Heart & Vascular Institute Women’s Heart Program. The program, formed in 1995, is dedicated to addressing the high risk of heart…
A new Structural Heart Program offers our patients a truly comprehensive approach, reducing the number of clinic visits and shortening the time from diagnosis to treatment. The Structural Heart Program is a combination of expertise from cardiac surgery, interventional cardiology and imaging cardiology. It includes four surgeons, three interventional cardiologists, three imaging cardiologists and two…
Ablation for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (A-fib) has been shown to be superior to medical management for the maintenance of sinus rhythm. Now, newer ablation techniques are making the procedure safer, more efficient and effective. The STOP AF First and EARLY AF trials published in the New England Journal of Medicine in early 2021 showed cryoablation…
New treatments are available for patients with transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM), a rare, underdiagnosed condition that causes faulty proteins to build up in the heart. Untreated, the condition leads to heart failure and death. An oral medication, tafamidis, serves as a stabilizer, binding the misfolded transthyretin (TTR) protein to keep it from breaking apart. When…
In a recent continuing medical education presentation, Kelly C. McCants, M.D., executive medical director, Norton Heart & Vascular Institute Advanced Heart Failure & Recovery Program, and executive director, Institute for Health Equity, a Part of Norton Healthcare, described the state of health care disparities in Louisville. He also detailed how vulnerable communities struggle, in particular…
A heart murmur is a sound that can be heard via stethoscope. These whooshing or swishing sounds are caused when blood flow is turbulent as it moves through the heart. A normal heartbeat makes a “lubb-dupp” sound as the valves close, but a heart murmur sounds different. A systolic murmur begins during or after the…