Blog

Heart Attack: Silent Symptoms

Take a moment to imagine if this was your life.  You are a busy professional, physically fit and active.  Staying healthy is very much a part of your daily life and you’ve been given a clean bill of health year after year from your primary care physician.  However, in the back of your mind, you worry.  Your father had a heart attack in his 50s and so did your brother.  You are also a male in your 50s.

Family medical history is certainly something that should never be ignored, but if you don’t seem to have any of the signs or symptoms of a heart attack is there really reason to... Read More »

What is Metabolic Syndrome?

Metabolic syndrome is a condition that includes the presence of a cluster of risk factors specific for cardiovascular disease. According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), metabolic syndrome significantly raises the risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, and/or stroke.

Most people who have metabolic syndrome have insulin resistance. The body makes insulin to move glucose (sugar) into cells for use as energy. Obesity, commonly found in people with metabolic syndrome, makes it more difficult for cells to respond to insulin. If the body cannot make enough... Read More »

Children and Cholesterol

If you, your parents, or your parents' siblings had a heart attack before age 55 and you have a child, this advice from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) might surprise you: Have your child's cholesterol tested.

Under certain circumstances, the AAP says, cholesterol-lowering diets, under a pediatrician's supervision, are safe for children.

Which children need testing?

The AAP recommends that all children be screened for high cholesterol between ages 9 and 11, and again between ages 17 and 21. Children should be screened regardless of family history, the... Read More »

Atrial Fibrillation, Barry Manilow, and Why You Should Get Checked

Have you felt a strange sensation in your chest but didn’t know what to think? Did your heart race and then slow with deliberate beats? Have you bent over to pick something up and felt like your heart is skipping a few beats?

You could be experiencing atrial fibrillation, the most common heart rhythm disorder. Atrial Fibrillation, or AFib as it commonly referred to, occurs when the heart's two upper chambers (the atria) beat irregularly and out of coordination with the two lower chambers (the ventricles) of the heart. Symptoms include heart palpitations, shortness of breath, and... Read More »

Can We Wipe Out Heart Attacks?

That is a bold question, but one being addressed by researchers today.  According to recent trials, the answer could be yes.  With heart disease being the number one killer in our country, responsible for 25% of US  deaths every year, wiping out heart attacks is a substantial consideration to the health of our nation.

Start with a Large Single-Site Study

One such trial looking into the potential of completely preventing heart attacks is the Dallas Heart Study, a genetics and coronary atherosclerosis study.  Essentially, researchers wanted to answer the question, who will get... Read More »

We're Hiring

We believe our employees are the heart of Hillcrest.  The high quality healthcare we provide our patients every day is in the hands of our great employees.  If you have been interested in finding the right job in the right place, this could be the perfect time for you!

Oklahoma Heart Institute just launched our new jobs website.  It is easy to use, easy to find current job listings, and easy to apply online, even through your LinkedIn account.  You will discover Hillcrest and what it is like to work here.  

You will see how you can professionally develop your career... Read More »

The Latest in Diabetes Management

Diabetes has reached epidemic proportions in our country.  It is a complex disorder that often times requires multiple medical approaches and lifestyle modifications to properly manage.  At Oklahoma Heart Institute, our endocrinologists remain abreast of the latest advancements in diabetes management to give our patients the best course of action and outcomes that favorably affect their health and quality of life.

Did you know?

By 2050, 1 in 3 US adults will have Type 2 diabetes.

With more than 28 million US adults living with Type 2 diabetes today, there are still... Read More »

OHI Cardiovascular MRI Department Celebrates 13 years

Oklahoma Heart Institute’s Cardiovascular MRI (CMR) Department completed their first case this week 13 years ago, June 3, 1999.  The department was the first of its kind in the United States, originally providing outpatient services and performing 300 clinical studies in the first year.  The Cardiovascular MRI team has tripled since that first year, with 3 CMR technologist and 3 CMR cardiologists now performing more than 2500 studies a year.  Additionally, today both inpatient and outpatient services are available.

Through the department’s work, it has earned an international... Read More »

Aquapheresis – The Answer for Many Heart Failure Patients

Those who suffer from congestive heart failure understand how physically debilitating fluid overload, or the retention of excess salt and water, can be.  Not only is the condition uncomfortable and physically limiting, it is one of the main reasons patients with heart failure are admitted to the hospital, to treat  the shortness of breath that often results.  By eliminating the weight of excess fluid on the lungs and heart, patients’ symptoms and discomfort are greatly improved.  However, traditional means for alleviating excess fluid, like diuretic medication and a low salt diet, can... Read More »

Today's Generation of Teens at Increased Risk for Cardiovascular Disease

Lifestyle is one of the main building blocks for health.  What you do today can affect your health for years to come.  For that reason a recent report from the CDC is stirring up quite a bit of concern pertaining to teens’ health.  According to the CDC, the number of teens 12 – 19 years old who are diabetic or pre-diabetic has jumped from 9 percent (1999 – 2000) to 23 percent (2007 – 2008) in less than a decade.  What is more troubling, diabetes is one of the controllable risk factors for cardiovascular disease, meaning more teens of this generation are at an increased risk for heart... Read More »