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…
Hybrid ablation is used as treatment for long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation (A-fib), the most severe form of the condition affecting about 45% of A-fib patients. Steven M. Peterson, M.D., cardiothoracic surgeon with Norton Heart & Vascular Institute Structural Heart Program, gave a clinical case review of a hybrid ablation procedure. He was joined by Kent…
New American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) guidance strongly recommends coronary computed tomography (CT) imaging as a noninvasive, first-line tool for evaluating patients with stable chest pain suspected of having possible coronary artery disease (CAD). The new guideline cites high-quality evidence in concluding coronary CT angiography (CCTA) is “effective for diagnosis of CAD, risk…
A group of Norton Healthcare physicians is using a novel approach to mitral valve repair. Research has shown that many patients with suture-based left atrial appendage surgical ligation have incomplete closure that puts them at risk for thromboembolic events. Closure of the LAA, either via percutaneous or surgical methods, could decrease risk. Thrombi typically arise…
Chelsea Rusher was getting a routine 20-week anatomy scan when her provider noticed a complication: Her son, Baylor, would be born with a heart defect. After that appointment, Chelsea, who lives south of Owensboro, Kentucky, chose Norton Children’s for maternal-fetal medicine care. Fetal diagnosis to comprehensive heart care Baylor was born at Norton Hospital in…
The patient A 33-year-old male presented with a history of a bicuspid aortic valve. He had previously undergone two aortic valve replacements. The patient first underwent aortic valve replacement in 2009 due to severe aortic insufficiency. A porcine valve was selected due to the patient’s status as a competitive football player. The patient’s recovery for…
The patient A 12-year-old boy born with double-inlet left ventricle (DILV), mitral stenosis, left-sided superior vena cava coronary sinus and pulmonary stenosis: The patient had been through surgical palliation as a baby, leaving him with Fontan circulation. The challenge Over the past decade we’ve learned that single-ventricle Fontan circulation has significant impacts on the heart…
A multidisciplinary team within Norton Children’s Heart Institute, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine, worked together to save the life of an infant born with structural heart defects and congenital complete atrioventricular block (CCAVB) that led to a slow heart rate. The patient was too small for the traditional path of care, driving the…
A new study published in Pediatric Cardiology found transcatheter intervention, including stent placement, is a feasible alternative to surgery for aortic coarctation in infants, with an acceptable adverse event profile. Coarctation of the aorta (CoA) is a common form of congenital heart disease, accounting for an estimated 5% to 8% of congenital heart defects. Surgery remains…
Ayryn P. Chilton-Gelfo, PA-C, has joined Norton Heart & Vascular Institute. The physician assistant is seeing patients in offices in downtown Louisville, on the Norton Audubon Hospital, Norton Brownsboro Hospital and Norton Healthcare – St. Matthews campuses, and on Dixie Highway. Most recently, Ayryn worked at Norton Healthcare emergency departments for 14 years. Before that,…