Blog

What Does the NBA Have to Do with Caring for our Patients?

In Oklahoma, we are relatively new to the game, but as our Thunder continue to move closer to The Finals, we seem to be getting the handle of the NBA. Even casual basketball fans are more than familiar with our hometown heroes Westbrook, Ibaka and KD. Without an NBA team to call our own in the recent past, many of us aligned our allegiance with teams regardless of geography – New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls or LA Lakers. 

Ever wonder what it’s like to live in the world of NBA players and trainers?  One of our physicians has been blessed to get a glimpse into this world on regular... Read More »

Tulsa Executive Shares Her Heart Disease Story for Go Red for Women

Marcia MacLeod, WPX Energy Executive, shares her powerful story for the 2014 Tulsa Go Red for Women luncheon May 9, 2014, discussing how heart disease was an unexpected interruption to her life and career. Marcia was referred to Oklahoma Heart Institute cardiac electrophysiologist Dr. David Sandler, who diagnosed her with the most common heart arrhythmia - Atrial Fibrillation. Learn how Marcia was able to get back to a healthy, active lifestyle and career through treatment for her AFib.

 

LDL Apheresis Treatment for Uncontrolled, Dangerously High Cholesterol

 

Diet, exercise and medication therapies are the first defense against high cholesterol, especially high LDL levels, for many patients. However, some people do not respond despite best efforts. Having dangerously high cholesterol levels can lead to heart disease, blockages and stroke. Oklahoma Heart Institute now offers patients an option, which has proven to lower cholesterol levels 73 to 83 percent – LDL Apheresis.

LDL Apheresis is a cholesterol-lowering technique that can help manage cholesterol in those who meet the following criteria:

... Read More »

Apple a Day - Fiber May Help Heart Attack Patients Live Longer

 

As the saying goes, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.” While researchers have long known the health benefits of eating a diet high in fiber, new research points to one large benefit for heart attack victims – survival. The study of survivors of myocardial infarction found an increased fiber intake, especially of cereal fiber, resulted in a 31 percent decrease in the rate of all-cause mortality and 35 percent decrease in cardiovascular death. What is even more significant in this study, heart attack survivors can still reap benefits from eating more fiber after their heart... Read More »

Share Your Story – Melissa Futrell

At the age of 33, Melissa Futrell went to the Emergency Department when a bad headache wouldn’t go away. She had started to slur her speech and wasn’t sure what was causing her symptoms. She was diagnosed with a “complex migraine” and referred to a neurologist. Melissa started medication for the migraine, but also noticed her heart felt like it was tightening every once in a while. Her confusing health situation came up in a conversation with a good friend, whose husband is a cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon. Hearing what Melissa described, he thought Oklahoma Heart Institute... Read More »

Facing Heart Disease – “I have never had anything this serious.”

This summer Neva Terry will celebrate her 73rd birthday in June. The following month marks her second anniversary since being diagnosed and treated for heart disease. “My only hope was to live at least a month to see my middle grandson marry,” admits Neva of being told she had severe heart block. “Now it has been two years in July!”

Neva woke the morning of July 11, 2012 and couldn’t breathe. She went to the Emergency Department at Hillcrest Medical Center and was quickly transported to the catheterization lab at Oklahoma Heart Institute where cardiac electrophysiologist Dr. David... Read More »

Future for Treating Aortic Stenosis Bright with TAVR

Two new studies look at transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) as improving the survival rates of high-risk patients with severe aortic stenosis versus traditional surgical valve replacement and compare leading FDA-approved valves available, the Edwards Sapien XT and Medtronic’s CoreValve. Director of Structural Heart Disease and Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement at Oklahoma Heart Institute, Dr. Kamran Muhammad, shares what this recent news means for patients. “Overall, the recent data presented at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Annual Scientific Sessions regarding... Read More »

Becoming a CCRN - Celebrating Certified Nurse Day March 19

Danielle LeVeck, RN, BSN, CCRN, and Vic Tackett, RN, BSN, CCRN, couldn’t imagine doing anything different than working as cardiac critical care nurses at Oklahoma Heart Institute.  It is a path neither started on, however, as they worked towards their college degrees, but yet it has led them to CV ICU on the third floor at the hospital. Their mutual passion for their careers and continued education earned both a place on the certified nurses’ wall – marking a milestone in their careers.

“Nursing in general has been the best thing to ever happen to me and it was a second career,”... Read More »

First in Oklahoma - Smallest Implantable Cardiac Monitoring Device for Patients

Oklahoma Heart Institute was the first in Oklahoma to implant the Medtronic Reveal LINQ Insertable Cardiac Monitoring System in two patients this week. This device is the smallest cardiac monitoring system available and is one-third the size of a AAA battery, making it 80 percent smaller than other implantable cardiac monitoring systems. This device allows physicians to continuously and wirelessly monitor patients up to three years. Physicians may also receive alerts sent directly to them if a patient is having a cardiac event. This device may be recommended for patients who experience... Read More »

First in Oklahoma - CoreValve for Commercial Use, TAVR

On Friday, February 21, a team of Oklahoma Heart Institute physicians, led by Drs. Kamran Muhammad, Wayne Leimbach Jr. and Paul Kempe performed the first three successful commercial Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) procedures in Oklahoma using the recently FDA-approved Medtronic CoreValve. 

The Medtronic CoreValve transcatheter heart valve was FDA approved just last month. The CoreValve device allows for a broader range of treatment options for patients living with severe aortic stenosis that are poor candidates for open-heart surgery for valve replacement. It is... Read More »