FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 10, 2006
Contact: Sharon Boston, sboston@umm.edu
Bill Seiler bseiler@umm.edu
Ellen Beth Levitt, eblevitt@umm.edu 410-328-8919

STORY IDEAS FOR "HEART MONTH"

A HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE THAT AFFECTS WOMEN MORE THAN MEN
A type of high blood pressure called pulmonary hypertension affects women twice as often as men, especially women in their twenties and thirties. In this complex disease, blood pressures rise in the pulmonary artery, the vessel that carries blood from the heart to the lungs. If not treated, the heart muscle weakens, ultimately leading to heart failure, according to Myung H. Park, M.D., director of the pulmonary vascular disease program at the University of Maryland Medical Center. Dr. Park, who is also an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, says diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension is often delayed because the symptoms may be nonspecific: shortness of breath with minimal exertion, fatigue, dizzy spells and fainting. The upside: screening tests and new treatments are now available to significantly help patients feel better. - Bill Seiler

DOES HEART FAILURE RUN IN YOUR FAMILY? IT CAN BE INHERITED
Heart failure, in which the heart cannot pump blood effectively, is the number-one cause of hospitalization for older patients. It usually results from years of untreated high blood pressure or blocked coronary arteries. However, heart failure can run in families. About one-third of patients diagnosed with heart failure are younger people, some in their twenties, whose heart failure has an inherited, genetic basis. Mandeep Mehra, M.D., head of cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center and a professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, says no matter what the cause, it is important to diagnose heart failure early because a wide range of lifestyle modifications, medications and surgery can control and even reverse heart failure. Dr. Mehra says heart failure can be prevented by controlling high blood pressure, lowering cholesterol, losing weight, and the judicious use of new medicines; these measures are also important for those at risk for the hereditary form of the disease. - Bill Seiler

GET A SNEAK PEEK INTO YOUR HEART’S FUTURE
Are you going to develop heart disease? Coronary calcium scoring is a non-invasive test that can evaluate whether you may be at increased risk for heart disease – all it takes is a 20 second CT scan. Radiologists at the University of Maryland Medical Center use the scan to look for calcium build-up in the coronary arteries, a strong predictor of heart disease. They then calculate your calcium “score” based on the level of build-up, and take into account your age, family history of heart disease and other risk factors. With that information, you and your doctor can develop a strategy consisting of exercise, diet and medications that may lower your heart attack risk. - Sharon Boston

TRANS FATS NOW PART OF NUTRITION LABELING
Looking for heart-healthy food? You’ll find a bit more help now that food nutrition labels list trans fats. These substances raise the levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol, lower “good” HDL cholesterol and increase the risk of heart disease. Nanette I. Steinle, M.D., an endocrinologist and expert on diabetes and cardiovascular disease at the University of Maryland Joslin Center for Diabetes and an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, says trans fats are added to cookies, crackers, icing, potato chips, margarine, microwave popcorn and some dietary supplements to extend their shelf life.- Bill Seiler

ADVANCED CARDIAC IMAGING PROVIDES NEW, FASTER WAYS TO DIAGNOSE CHEST PAIN
Many people who go to the emergency room with chest pain are not having a heart attack. But diagnosing the cause of their pain and determining if they need to be admitted to the hospital often cannot be done quickly. Now doctors at the University of Maryland Medical Center are studying whether new, advanced 64-slice CT scans will give them enough information to rapidly diagnose the cause of the pain and prevent unnecessary hospitalization. “These advanced CT scans allow us to see the heart with wonderful specificity in less than a minute,” explains Reuben Mezrich, M.D., Ph.D., chief of radiology and a professor of diagnostic radiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. “We can find out if there are blockages in the coronary arteries, if there’s a tear in the aorta, a clot in the lung or another problem and then take the appropriate action. If this CT evaluation proves to be effective, it may change the way we evaluate and treat acute chest pain.” – Sharon Boston

HEART VALVE SURGERY WITHOUT BIG INCISIONS
About 95,000 surgeries are performed each year in the U.S. to replace or repair a leaky heart valve. Traditionally, these procedures involved major open heart surgery. But at the University of Maryland Heart Center, the majority of surgeries on the aortic and mitral valves are now performed using minimally-invasive techniques, so that patients have a much faster recovery. And instead of fixing a defective mitral valve by removing the diseased valve and implanting an artificial one, cardiac surgeons at the Maryland Heart Center now repair the mitral valve in 85 percent of cases instead of replacing it. The advantages of this approach include improved long-term survival, reduced risk of stroke, and freedom from continuous use of blood thinners.- Bill Seiler

SUPER FREEZING CORRECTS ABNORMAL HEART RHYTHM
Cardiac surgeons at the University of Maryland Medical Center report a 95 percent cure rate for irregular heart rhythms using a super freezing surgical procedure called cryoablation. The procedure corrects a heart rhythm disorder known as atrial fibrillation, which stems from electrical abnormalities in the heart. It is responsible for 15 to 20 percent of strokes in the United States and more than 70,000 deaths. In a normal heart, electrical signals originating in the upper chambers of the heart, or atria, travel in an orderly fashion, causing the heart to pump blood in a coordinated way. In atrial fibrillation, multiple electrical impulses spread throughout the atria, resulting in a disorganized quivering. To perform cryoablation, surgeons use a thin, flexible metal cryoprobe to rapidly freeze portions of the heart at temperatures of -120 to -160 degrees Celsius. The freezing creates a maze-shaped barrier that interrupts the flow of abnormal electrical impulses and directs the current through only one pathway to restore normal heart function. Watch cardiac surgeon James Gammie, M.D., perform a cryoablation procedure on March 8. - Bill Seiler

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This page was last updated on: May 20, 2008.