January 2014
THE BEAT West Tennessee Heart & Vascular Newsletter
Heart Education In West Tennessee West Tennessee Heart and Vascular Center will host an evening of heart education for West Tennesseans. We encourage you to invite your patients, friends and family to learn about heart health.
A Look Inside: Our Heart & Vascular Care February 13 5 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. J. Walter Barnes Conference Center at JMCGH
Enjoy refreshments, tour our facility, and learn about • Atrial Fibrillation from Dr. Shawn Baldwin, electrophysiologist • Peripheral Vascular Disease from Dr. John Crocker, radiologist
Women Choose WTHVC for Heart Care Jackson-Madison County General Hospital has received a Women’s Choice Award for Best Heart Care from The Voice of Women for West Tennessee Heart and Vascular Center’s performance in the following categories: • America’s Best Hospitals for Heart Failure Care • America’s Best Hospitals for Heart Attack Care • America’s Best Hospitals for Patient Satisfaction The award is based on hospital quality data, clinical outcomes and Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers.
• New technologies, techniques and minimally invasive surgeries from Dr. Eric Sievers, cardiothoracic surgeon
Wear Red Feb. 7
Don’t forget to wear red on National Wear Red Day, February 7! Make it a staff-wide event and send a group picture to emily.garner@wth.org to be shared with others.
Every Heart Matters
Even newborns at JMCGH will “Go Red” this month. Each February, newborns receive a red knit cap donated by the JMCGH Volunteer Auxiliary and each new mother receives heart disease prevention tips from WTHVC and West Tennessee Women’s Center, as a reminder that it is never too early to start a heart-healthy lifestyle. To see all Heart Month events, go to page 3.
Top Accreditation for Chest Pain Center with PCI Reaffirmed Jackson-Madison County General Hospital Chest Pain Center has received reaffirmation of full accreditation with PCI from the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care. As SCPC raises the standard for full accreditation, it reassesses accredited chest pain centers.
731-541-CARE (2273)
“As SCPC has raised the bar, our Chest Pain Center has continued to meet the high standard of care for chest pain patients,” said Deann Montchal, vice president of hospital services. The chest pain center is part of the coordinated heart care provided by West Tennessee Heart and Vascular Center.
PVD
Our Team is Here to Help You Diagnose and Treat Peripheral Vascular Disease
One in 20 Americans over the age of 50 has peripheral vascular disease (PVD). PVD affects the arteries of the limbs. Build up of fatty plaque in the arteries causes decreased blood flow to the limbs, which can lead to pain, discomfort, burning and many other uncomfortable symptoms. Many patients who experience PVD symptoms write them off as effects of growing older, and nearly half of patients with PVD have mild or no symptoms. Untreated PVD can cause open sores, lead to amputation and signal a high risk of stroke. Diagnosing PVD West Tennessee Heart and Vascular Center has several ways to diagnose PVD, from ultrasounds to contrast angiography.
Treating PVD - Most important — Lifestyle changes, including smoking cessation, diet, exercise and blood pressure control - Medications that lower cholesterol or control high blood pressure - Angioplasty or Stenting - Bypass Grafting - Thrombolytic Therapy - Peripheral Laser Atherectomy - Atherectomy West Tennessee Heart & Vascular Center brings together interventional cardiologists, vascular surgeons and interventional radiologists to provide the full range of treatment options from balloons or stents, to lasers, to clot-dissolving medication.
Risk Factors for PVD Smoking High blood pressure Diabetes mellitus High cholesterol Obesity Positive family history for the disease Symptoms for PVD Discomfort Burning or achiness of the feet, calves or thighs with activity Pain while walking Numbness Weakness Coolness Change in skin color
There Is More Than One Way To Treat PVD – And There Is One Center That Has Them All.
I got laser treatment.
My leg pain was stopped with medication.
How to Make a Referral Call 731-541-CARE (2273) 620 Skyline Drive • Jackson, TN 38301
A stent stopped my problem right away.
This February Go Red, Speak Red Be a Part of Changing Lives — Go to a National Heart Month Event FRIDAY
National Wear Red Day
FEB
Heart disease is the number one killer of women! Join others in our community as we “Go Red” to raise awareness about the disease and ways to prevent it.
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FRIDAY
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Free Blood Pressure and HeartAware
FEB
Sport your red while you get a free blood pressure reading and take a HeartAware test to determine your risk for heart disease.
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Look Inside: AALook Inside: Our Heart & Vascular Care THURSDAY Thur
FEB FEB
13 13 FRIDAY
FEB
14 FEB
Free Blood Pressure and HeartAware LIFT Wellness Center 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Free Blood Pressure and HeartAware
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5 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Be kind to your heart; get a free blood pressure reading and take a HeartAware test to determine your risk for heart disease. FRIDAY
TUESDAY
Jackson-Madison GeneralCare Hospital Our Heart &County Vascular J. Walter BarnesCounty Conference Jackson-Madison General Center Hospital 5J.p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Walter Barnes Conference Center
Invite your family and friends to hear from WTHVCfacing physicians about: Learn about heart and vascular issues West · Peripheral Vascular Disease Tennesseans from West Tennessee Heart and · Atrial Fibrillation Vascular Center physicians learn invasive about heart · New technologies, techniques &and minimally surgeries care at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital.
FRIDAY
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Heart-Healthy Cooking Demonstration LIFT Wellness Center 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Celebrate long life and good eating. Take a HealthAware risk assessment test, hear from West Tennessee Heart and Vascular Center’s Dr. Fakorede and watch a cooking demonstration to learn how to make delicious heart-healthy meals.
Men Wear Red Day
Jackson-Madison County General Hospital All men are encouraged to sport some red to raise awareness for heart disease and ways to prevent it.
Free Blood Pressure and HeartAware FRIDAY
FEB
28
Old Hickory Mall 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Take a break from shopping to get a free blood pressure reading and take a HeartAware test to determine your risk for heart disease.
The Barn at Snider Farms 1998 Denmark-Jackson Rd. 7 p.m. $10 - To register, call: 731-512-1548 Ladies, don’t miss this fun-filled night of dancing and the opportunity to learn about preventing the number one killer of women!
Jackson-Madison County General Hospital Cafeteria 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
FRIDAY
Boots & Bling
Jackson-Madison County General Hospital Cafeteria 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Get a free blood pressure reading and take a HeartAware test to determine your risk for heart disease.
Smoking Cessation Program EVERY MONDAY IN FEB
LIFT Wellness Center Educational Suite
5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. - $50 Achieve your goal of tobacco cessation with a course led by a registered nurse, pharmacist, dietitian, exercise specialist, and a Pathways representative. Complete the sessions to receive a T-shirt and $50 LIFT cash to be used on LIFT enrollment fee or monthly membership.
TUESDAY
APRIL
wthvc.org | 731.541.CARE(2273)
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Save the Date! Go Red for Women Event
AEDs Now Available at Sportsplex West Tennessee Heart and Vascular Center and Ayers Children’s Medical Center have donated two automated external defibrillators, or AEDs, to the West Tennessee Healthcare Sportsplex in Jackson. CPR and early defibrillation with an AED can more than double a victim’s chance of survival. Several members of the Sportsplex staff have been trained in CPR and the use of the devices.
PulsePoint Smartphone App Enabling Neighborhood Heroes A smartphone app to help bystanders improve sudden cardiac arrest survival rates is available in Tennessee for the first time — in Madison, Benton and Chester counties. When the 911 center receives an alert of sudden cardiac arrest, it activates an alert to PulsePoint app users in close proximity to the victim. A live map leads app users to the victim’s location and the nearest AED.
Be a Hero — Download the App The free PulsePoint app is available for Apple iOS and Google Android devices from the Apple App Store and Google Play.
Follow Our One-Call Auto-Accept Referral Process West Tennessee Heart and Vascular Center has a one-call auto-accept process for physicians referring patients for suspected STEMI. A STEMI physician and a general cardiology physician are on call 24/7 at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital. 1. Call the JMCGH Physician Referral Line: 1-800-601-0830. 2. The call center staff will ask: - Does the patient have ST Elevation? - Does the patient have a cardiologist? - Please fax EKG to 731-541-9595. 3. Prepare patient for transfer while call center sets up phone conference between an interventional cardiologist (IC), referring emergency department physician (EDP) and JMCGH EDP to discuss initial reperfusion strategy. All will have the patient’s EKG to reference. 4. The IC/EDP will accept the patient and begin care while a nurse from the referring facility sends patient reports to the call center. JMCGH Cardiac Cath Lab will be prepared and the patient will be transferred to JMCGH to begin reperfusion therapy.
Several WTH services in Gibson County have changed, but West Tennessee Heart and Vascular Center referral protocols have not changed. To learn more, visit wth.org/gibson
Meet a Member of the WTHVC Team Jennifer Brand, RN, BSN, MSSL Stroke Program Coordinator Since Jennifer Brand became stroke program coordinator at JMCGH, the center has earned the Joint Commission’s Primary Stroke Center status and has reduced diagnostic CT first image time by 10 minutes, saving 20 million brain cells for each stroke patient. Jennifer educates the public and other JMCGH staff about the stroke care process and is often one of the first to respond to a neuro alert as a stroke response nurse. “There is really no greater feeling than running a stroke patient through our stroke process with the help of so many professionals, administering tPA (to break down blood clots), or taking them to the Vascular and Interventional lab for an intervention and having that same patient talking to you within a few hours,” Jennifer says. Jennifer says she works with a very collaborative team of EDPs, neurologists, radiology and interventional radiology physicians, hospitalists, UTFP residents, and rehabilitative physicians. “It is very hard work, but the stroke team members are always ready to do the right thing for our stroke patients,” she says. When not working on the stroke program, Jennifer may be found spending time with her elderly father or FaceTiming with her grandchildren.
One Phone Number For Complete Cardiovascular Care
731.541.CARE (2273)
Cryoballoon Ablation A Therapy to Freeze Atrial Fibrillation By Shawn Baldwin, MD, Electrophysiologist
Despite these treatment modalities, there are times that patients still have difficulties with management of AF. In these situations a procedure may be helpful in decreasing the frequency and severity of the AF episodes.
The Case for Cryoballoon Ablation
Signs of Abnormal Heart Rhythm Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is the most common abnormal heart rhythm. It affects the lives of more than two million people in the United States. It is a fast, disorganized rhythm that originates from the top chambers of the heart. Patients sometimes experience palpitations, which are fluttering sensations in the chest. Other possible symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, light-headedness, and chest discomfort. Some patients, however, do not feel symptoms with the arrhythmia. The abnormal rhythm can occur intermittently, or it can become persistent. It often exacerbates other medical problems, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Treatment Options There are many treatment options for AF. Two of the most important aspects of management include strategies for lowering the risk of stroke and for decreasing symptoms. The irregular rhythm increases the risk of stroke due to the possibility of blood clot formation in the heart. The chaotic rhythm changes the usual mechanics of the top chambers of the heart and changes the way the blood flows through the heart itself. Instead of smooth, fast flow through the chambers, the blood can pool in the top chambers of the heart. This can lead to a thrombus formation (a blood clot).
An ablation procedure for AF targets electrical activity in the heart that is associated with initiating the abnormal rhythm. There are two main energy forms currently used to perform the procedure. Radiofrequency ablation uses thermal energy to eliminate abnormal electrical activity. Cryoablation utilizes the removal of heat to freeze tissue with abnormal electrical activity. With Cryoablation, a balloon-tipped catheter, or tube, is advanced from the vein in the leg into the heart under x-ray guidance. The catheter is advanced into the left top chamber of the heart, the left atrium, by crossing the septum that divides the top two chambers. This is done with a special needle under x-ray and echo guidance. Once in the left atrium, the cryoballoon is used to deliver freezing energy to the tissue just outside of the veins that return blood from the lungs to the atrium, the pulmonary veins. These sites are commonly the sites of origin of electrical activity associated with AF. The cryoballoon allows the delivery of well-demarcated lesions. It also helps with maintaining constant and even tissue contact. These properties seem to help with the overall effectiveness and safety of the procedure. Although any invasive cardiac procedure is associated with potential risks, and no procedure for atrial fibrillation is perfect, the cryoballoon ablation procedure currently seems to be a good option for patients who continue to have intermittent episodes of symptomatic atrial fibrillation despite a trial of medical therapy. The procedure can be helpful in decreasing the overall frequency and duration of episodes, which can help improve overall quality of life.
If the thrombus travels from the heart to the head, then a stroke can occur. For this reason, one of the most important treatment decisions for patients with atrial fibrillation is whether to use a blood thinning medication to help lower the overall risk of a stroke. There are several medical options for trying to reduce the symptoms related to AF. Sometimes only observation is needed. On other occasions medications may be used to try to control the heart rate or to try to maintain normal rhythm and limit episodes of AF. In addition, there are times an electrical cardioversion, or shock, may be used to try to restore normal rhythm.
We Provide Complete Cardiovascular Care Cardiothoracic Surgery Center Cardiac Rehabilitation Care Heart Attack Care Heart Rhythm Clinic
Stroke Care Valve Care Vascular & Imaging Services
Comprehensive Care - One Number to Call | 731.541.CARE(2273)
wthvc.org
wthvc.org
Serving Dyersburg, Lexington & Paris Locally All Locations Accepting New Patients All Locations Accepting New Patients
Providing: Providing: Echo Echo EKGs EKGs Lab Tests Lab Tests Physicians Evaluations Physicians Evaluations X-Rays X-Rays
Dyersburg Cardiology Outreach Clinic
Lexington Cardiology Outreach Clinic
Paris Cardiology Outreach Clinic Additional services, including Stress Tests and Ankle-Brachial Index Tests
1700 Woodlawn Drive Dyersburg, TN 38024 P (731) 287-4830 F (731) 287-4836
14 Hospital Drive Lexington, TN 38351 P (731) 967-0799 F (731) 967-0800
Opening February 1006B Cornerstone Drive Paris, TN 38242 Phone (731) 642-0524 Fax (731) 642-3518