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What allergy medicines can I safely take if I have heart disease or high blood pressure?

Dr. Wayne Leimbach, Director of Interventional Laboratories at Oklahoma Heart Institute, shares insights on allergies, heart disease and high blood pressure on our blog today.

Springtime brings not only beautiful weather and beautiful flowers, but it also brings high pollen counts and suffering to people with allergies. Many people often ask what allergy medicines they can take safely if they have heart disease or high blood pressure. Many allergy medications include decongestants that can raise blood pressure, create palpitations and interfere with some other heart medications.... Read More »

Broken Arrow Heart Patient Credits LifeVest For His Survival

The News on 6 aired this story May 7, 2013

 

A defibrillator vest is saving lives in Oklahoma.  It's designed for people who have a weak heart or survived a heart attack. One Oklahoma man says the LifeVest saved his life twice.

It's been around for a few years now, but doctors say many heart patients don't even know it exists.

Two months ago Michael Hopkins went to the doctor because he was having trouble breathing.

"He gave me an EKG and he said, 'Well you have flunked this. Your heart is in defibrillation. Go to the emergency room now,'" said Michael... Read More »

Giving Patients outside Tulsa Metro Access to Expert Care and Top Technology

Oklahoma Heart Institute brings the expertise of physicians recruited from top centers across the country like Cleveland Clinic, Baylor and Cedars-Sinai to two Tulsa Metro clinics and twelve regional clinics throughout Northeastern Oklahoma. Designed to improve access to quality care, Oklahoma Heart Institute’s regional presence assures patients outside the Tulsa metro area they are connected to the best cardiology care in Oklahoma without having to leave their hometown. If a patient needs the top technology available at the Oklahoma Heart Institute hospital, the transition is seamless to... Read More »

National Sleep Apnea Awareness Day: Focus on Solutions

Do you remember the last time you slept well throughout the night? How about the last time you woke up refreshed with energy to last all day? It is safe to say the vast majority of Americans can’t say yes to either of these questions, but for an estimated 12 million Americans, their sleep is disrupted on a nightly basis due to sleep apnea, a condition that can lead to serious health complications.

In her mid-20s, Heather Binkley Morrow felt something was wrong when she would wake in the morning with pain. “I would often wake up with splitting headaches,” she says. “I even made an... Read More »

Midtown Tulsa Sleep Lab Renovated and Updated

Oklahoma Heart Institute Sleep Care of Hillcrest Medical Center, located in midtown (21st and Columbia Ave.) recently received a complete renovation and is equipped with the latest equipment and amenities to provide quality, in-depth sleep studies for our patients. The 6 bed sleep lab is available most nights for sleeps studies and features Sleep Number beds, flat screen televisions and a coffee and breakfast bar. Patients can be referred for a sleep study by Dr. Kevin Lewis, Dr. Jana Loveless or through their primary care physician.

Take a look inside our midtown sleep lab.

... Read More »

TAVR Patient Perspectives: John White

"The last night that I spent at my home, I was thinking I was very close to taking my last breath," says patient John White two weeks before to Dr. Kamran Muhammad performed his TAVR procedure. See how his life has transformed since curing his severe aortic stenosis with the TAVR procedure.

Questions to Ask Your Cardiologist

Whether you are consulting with a cardiologist regarding the results of a screening test or referred by your primary care physician, patients often have a list of questions to ask the doctor, but don’t know where to start. It is important to spend time with your cardiologist to better understand your diagnosis and treatment options if recommended. Here is a list of questions to consider asking your cardiologist or primary care physician.

What to ask

What are possible causes for my symptoms?What tests are available and which should I take?Do I need to see a specialist?What is... Read More »

TAVR Patient Perspectives: Margaret Lack

At the age of 86, Margaret Lack knew it wasn't just age that was making her short of breath and lacking energy. Diagnosed with severe aortic stenosis, Margaret was a candidate for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement to cure her aortic stenosis and greatly improve her quality of life. In her own words, Margaret shares how this procedure changed her life.

Going Inside a Real Patient TAVR Procedure

TAVR, Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement, is changing the lives of patients living with severe aortic stenosis who are inoperable or high-risk for an open heart procedure to replace their aortic valve.  Since the first TAVR procedures performed in Tulsa at Oklahoma Heart Institute May 2, 2012, patients who have had this procedure have been cured of their aortic stenosis, greatly improving their shortness of breath, chest pain and quality of life. Director of Structural Heart Disease at Oklahoma Heart Institute Dr. Kamran Muhammad takes us step by step through a real patient TAVR... Read More »

Stroke - Know the Signs and Act Fast

If a stroke is recognized and treatment begins within 60 minutes of onset, disability from the stroke is largely preventable. It is important for everyone to know the signs of a stroke and to act fast to help reduce the permanent damage from a stroke.

First, let’s understand what a stroke is and why it can result in disability. Often referred to as a “brain attack”, a stroke is a sudden interruption of blood to the brain. When blood is cut off from the brain, brain cells immediately impacted by the lack of blood will begin to die when the oxygen and nutrients from the blood they... Read More »