Compared with usual care, implantable cardiac monitors (ICM) detected significantly more atrial fibrillation (AF) events in stroke patients who likely would not have been monitored long term for AF otherwise, according to a study published recently in JAMA. The trial, Stroke of Known Cause and Underlying Atrial Fibrillation, STROKE-AF trial for short, looked at patients…
Visiting Louisville on a business trip, Rob Priest thought he might have come down with a terrible case of food poisoning. The pain was so bad that he called 911 from his hotel. When Rob arrived by ambulance at Norton Audubon Hospital, he learned the truth was far worse than a tainted meal. Rob had…
When someone 35 or younger complains of symptoms concerning for heart disease, such as palpitations, shortness of breath or chest pains, we see them at the new Norton Heart & Vascular Institute Young Adult Cardiology Clinic, located on the campus of Norton Brownsboro Hospital. More and more young people come to us anxious about their…
Using scheduled, intentional touch points for follow-up care, Norton Heart & Vascular Institute is aiming to drive down the readmission rate for heart failure patients and those who’ve had open heart surgery. Mindful that heart failure readmissions typically happen in the first two weeks after discharge, all three touch points take place in that time…
For patients with atrial fibrillation (A-fib) not caused by a heart valve issue, with at least moderate risk of stroke and issues taking long-term blood thinners, the Watchman device offers an alternative. The left atrial appendage (LAA) closure device significantly lowers stroke risk and can reduce or eliminate the need for long-term anticoagulation. Patients with…
If someone is having chest pain, it’s time to get to the best hospital for heart attack treatment. But aren’t all hospitals equipped to treat a heart attack? Yes, and getting treatment right away is the most important thing, so call 911. Some hospitals have better outcomes than others and are able to reach those…
According to the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS), 200,000 adults in the U.S. are diagnosed with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) every year. It is the 10th-leading cause of death for American men over the age of 55, and a ruptured AAA is the 15th-leading cause of death in the U.S. Symptoms Abdominal aortic aneurysm often…
The patient A woman presented to Norton Audubon Hospital with shortness of breath and dizziness and was noted to be in new-onset atrial fibrillation (A-fib). She underwent immediate cardioversion but had recurrent A-fib and then was placed on flecainide with a repeat successful cardioversion. Her echocardiogram showed normal left ventricular function. The providers Kent E….
While endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) of aortic aneurysm has expanded over the last 20 years, there are still cases where this minimally invasive procedure has limitations. Using a new type of endograft called fenestrated endografts, surgeons at Norton Heart & Vascular Institute are repairing abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) that are close to the renal or…
The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has approved hybrid ablation as a treatment for long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation (A-fib), the most severe form of the condition affecting about 45% of A-fib patients. Hybrid ablation treats A-fib in procedures that combine endocardial radiofrequency ablation with epicardial ablation. The ablations create lesions that interrupt the faulty electrical…
Norton Heart & Vascular Institute is first in the area to adopt the Lux-DX insertable cardiac monitor technology, which reduces the patient’s need for in-person monitoring. Arrhythmia patients of the institute have begun receiving the Lux-Dx monitor, which allows for wireless transmission of clearer and more reliable signals to the Norton Heart & Vascular Institute…
A new clinical trial, known as CHAMPION-AF, is underway to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the next-generation WATCHMAN FLX left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) device compared with a new generation of blood thinners within a broad population of patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (A-fib). The WATCHMAN FLX device replaces long-term blood thinner use by closing the…