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When heart attack strikes, minutes matter most. Every second your heart doesn't function properly, it suffers irreversible damage. At St. Francis, you can count on receiving essential cardiac care in record time - two times faster than the national benchmark. The St. Francis Heart Rescue Team has an average response time of 42 minutes - well under the national standard of 90 minutes. This means it only takes our team 42 minutes to assess and begin treating a patient suspected of having a heart attack from the time that they arrive at the hospital. In this special edition, Vive! focused on heart health, you'll learn more about heart disease and women, advances in heart surgery, and steps you can take to ensure a healthy heart for years to come. |
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What Women Need to Know About Heart Disease
Did you know that almost 1 in 3 women will die with heart disease? "The sad thing is that almost 80% of that may be preventable," says Barbara Moran-Faile, MD, cardiologist with Upstate Cardiology. "A big part of getting women treated for heart disease is just educating them that they need it." Take that first step by watching Dr. Moran-Faile's video featuring how heart disease affects women. If you have risk factors for heart disease, don't wait. Talk with your doctor and be proactive about your health. As Dr. Moran-Faile says, "Don't just take care of everybody else. Remember to take care of yourself so you can be there to take care of your loved ones later on."
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The Face of Heart Disease
Think heart disease is an "old man's disease?" So did Marilyn. Hear her story about developing - and managing - heart disease as a young woman.
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Minimally Invasive Cardiac Ablation
Cardiac ablation is a procedure that destroys areas in the heart that cause heart rhythm problems, especially atrial fibrillation.
In atrial fibrillation, the atria are stimulated to contract very quickly and differently from the normal pattern. Normally, the four chambers of the heart (two atria and two ventricles) contract in a very specific,  coordinated way. An electrical impulse that signals your heart to contract in a synchronized way begins in the sinoatrial node (SA node). This node is your heart's natural pacemaker. However, the impulses of someone with atrial fibrillation are sent to the ventricles in an irregular pattern, making the ventricles beat abnormally and leading to an irregular pulse.
Detection
Atrial fibrillation can be detected by an electrocardiogram, holter monitor, coronary angiography, echocardiogram, or electrophysiology study.
Treatment
Some patients may only need medication management to control their irregular heartbeat. For others, minimally invasive cardiac ablation can cure the arrhythmia.
During a minimally invasive cardiac ablation procedure, small wires called electrodes are placed inside the heart to measure its electrical activity and destroy the bad areas of the heart. Patients with certain types of atrial fibrillation that are diagnosed early have a 85-90% success rate with this procedure, and because it is minimally invasive, most patients are back at work within days.
To learn more about this treatment option, please contact Upstate Atrial Fibrillation & Arrhythmia Center at 864-235-7665.
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