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Kathleen Marshall is always on the go.

“I get up in the morning, hit the ground running and I go all day long,” Marshall said.

The 68-year-old stays busy navigating life with her three children, five grandchildren and a booming business, Kathleen’s Kids, to run.

Marshall also regularly attends ballroom dance and tai chi classes.

Even the busiest of days have never fully masked Marshall’s underlying condition of atrial fibrillation (AFib), a quivering or irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia).

“I had a heart cath years ago when they discovered I had AFib,”... Read More »

It’s that simple. Following a heart-healthy lifestyle can reduce your risk of developing atrial fibrillation (AFib). Atrial fibrillation is an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) that can lead to stroke, heart failure and other heart-related complications.

We know that older age increases the risk of developing atrial fibrillation — but that’s not all. Other major contributing factors include heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes and heavy drinking.

Adopting the following healthy habits can help lower your risk for not only AFib, but also for all types of heart... Read More »

Atrial fibrillation, also known as AFib, can happen to anyone. But can it be passed down from a family member? The answer is yes.

Having a family member with AFib increases your chances of being diagnosed. Atrial fibrillation that is inherited is called familial atrial fibrillation.

Although the exact incidence of an inherited abnormality of the heart’s normal rhythm is unknown, recent studies suggest that up to 30 percent of people with AFib have a relative with the condition.

The likelihood of AFib increases with age, as well as for individuals with heart disease,... Read More »

The answer is no, but let’s start by explaining the connection between atrial fibrillation and stroke.

Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is generally not a life-threatening condition, but it can lead to serious medical complications, such as stroke. An irregular heart rhythm allows blood to pool in the heart, which can cause clots to form.

According to experts, AFib patients are nearly five times more likely to suffer a stroke than those without the condition.

Back to aspirin — based on several large studies and the 2014 American Heart Association guidelines, staff at... Read More »

Tammy Anderson’s husband started experiencing heart problems in the winter of 2018. During this time, her blood pressure became alarmingly high.

“Whenever my husband went in for his heart cath, his cardiologist, Dr. Arash Karnama, checked my blood pressure and after seeing the numbers, told me he wanted to see me the following week,” said Anderson.

At that time, Anderson’s blood pressure was 189/120 and she weighed 291 pounds.

“Dr. Karnama told me my blood pressure could be controlled with medication, but since I was only 53 he wanted me to lose 100 pounds,” said... Read More »

Vernon Anderson’s father passed away at age 54 after suffering a heart attack. Upon turning 54, Anderson wanted to take the preventative steps to make sure he didn’t end up in the same situation as his father.

“I went in to see my cardiologist, Dr. Arash Karnama, and had an EKG done,” said Anderson. “The results came back fine, but I insisted that I have a stress test done because of my family history. They didn’t think it was necessary but they were respectful of my wish to have one done.”

The day after his stress test, Anderson received a call from Dr. Karnama’s office. He... Read More »

March 2019 marked 30 years since the beginning of Oklahoma Heart Institute (OHI). In celebration of this milestone, Dr. Wayne Leimbach, one of the founders of OHI and current medical director, shared what technologies he has been most impressed with during this time and what’s he’s most excited to see in the future at OHI.

“When it comes to technology, there are many things that stand out to me,” said Leimbach. “Top of mind would be the interruption of heart attacks (myocardial infarction) with emergency opening of blocked blood vessels.”

Transcatheter aortic valve... Read More »

Pete Dubois was out riding his bicycle in the spring of 2016, one of his favorite hobbies, when he started feeling bad.

“I felt so awful I ended up going to the hospital,” said Dubois. “Over the next few months, I had several stents put in and then underwent an open heart procedure.”

In the years following, Dubois had numerous heart catheterizations and still experienced chest pain. He was constantly tired and unable to do any of the things he enjoyed doing.

“I was a cross-country runner, a bicyclist and a mountain climber and heart disease took all of those things... Read More »

Karen Langston started working for Hillcrest HealthCare System in the 1970s.

“I worked as a unit secretary for a few years, left for a while then came back in 1977 and started the radiologist technologist program that was offered at the time,” said Langston.

Upon graduating from the program in 1980, Langston began working in the Catheterization lab at Hillcrest Medical Center. When Oklahoma Heart Institute opened in 2009 with a new cath lab, she moved over there where she worked until her retirement in December 2018.

“There were only five employees working in the cath... Read More »

Oklahoma Heart Institute provides comprehensive endocrinology care. By focusing on the needs of the patients, endocrinologists can develop individualized treatment plans. Dr. Cristin Bruns, endocrinologist at Oklahoma Heart Institute, is telling us more about the types of diseases that fall under the umbrella of endocrinology care and how she approaches diabetes care.

“As an endocrinologist, I treat individuals with hormonal disorders such as diabetes mellitus and bone diseases, as well as disorders of the thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal and pituitary and reproductive glands,” said... Read More »