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The Oklahoma Heart Institute structural heart and advanced heart failure teams recently performed the first AccuCinch left ventricular restoration procedure in Tulsa. This innovative procedure, which is being evaluated in the CORCINCH-HF research trial, has the potential to help patients with congestive heart failure by implanting a device in patients with an enlarged left ventricle, helping shrink the size of the left ventricle, reduce symptoms, improve quality of life and potentially increase life expectancy.

Kamran Muhammad, M.D. and David Meggo, M.D. from OHI spoke to KOTV -... Read More »

There are eight ways you can improve your heart health and decrease your risk of heart-related illnesses and complications, no matter your age or lifestyle. Christopher Allen, M.D., interventional cardiologist at Oklahoma Heart Institute, shares these tips.

1. Stop or decrease smoking

Risk factors from smoking include heart disease, chest pains, heart attack, arrhythmias, high blood pressure, damaged heart tissue and heart failure. Your risk for cardiovascular disease and disorders decreases substantially when you stop smoking.

“If you are a smoker, you should stop.... Read More »

Amy Rea is being called a walking miracle. After an hour in cardiac arrest, her pulse returned thanks to a tireless, determined and dedicated team of professionals at Hillcrest Hospital South performing non-stop CPR.

After she collapsed at work, first responders brought her to Hillcrest, where she went into cardiac arrest. Ankit Chothani, M.D., an interventional and peripheral endovascular cardiology specialist, treated her for a suspected pulmonary embolism while several other staff gave her chest compressions for about an hour to revive her.

Click here and watch the video... Read More »

Alcohol can significantly affect multiple organs in the body and disrupt some normal patterns in sleep and blood pressure. Alcohol’s effects on blood can also affect the heart.

Frank Gaffney, M.D., is a noninvasive cardiologist with the Oklahoma Heart Institute, and director of cardiology at Bailey Medical Center. He shares three ways that lowering or eliminating alcohol consumption can change the body:

1. Lowers blood pressure

“If you are a regular alcohol consumer, your blood pressure has a tendency to trend up,” said Dr. Gaffney. “Getting off of alcohol changes that... Read More »

Larry Cave would tell you he’s been living on borrowed time since he was 16, when a brain surgeon saved his life after a car crash. With the help of medical providers over the years, Cave has survived a cancer diagnosis, a heart attack and multiple surgeries. In the last decade, Cave has been part of a milestone of innovation at the Oklahoma Heart Institute that saved his life again.

Cave received radiation treatment for lymphoma when he was just 24 years old. The treatment damaged his heart. Cave had a heart attack in 1998, and then bypass surgery six years later. He had pacemakers... Read More »

A cardiologist at Oklahoma Heart Institute is spending his free time prepping his body for real-life movements with a specific exercise style. He says this kind of fitness could even help his patients who are in cardiac rehabilitation.

Frank Gaffney, M.D., is a noninvasive cardiologist who specializes in transesophageal echocardiography, nuclear cardiology and coronary angiography. When he isn’t with patients or reading lab results, Dr. Gaffney hits the gym with his family.

Recently, he’s found a type of exercise called functional fitness to be especially effective for his... Read More »

Physical therapy after open-heart surgery was tough on David Engle. Recovering from a triple bypass and a heart valve replacement was not easy on his body or mind. When his cardiologists told him he would need another open-heart surgery for a valve replacement seven years later, Engle refused.

“I said, ‘No, we’re not going in.’” said Engle. “Recovery and physical therapy was too hard on me.”

Luckily, there was an alternative. Engle’s cardiologist in Arkansas told him about Kamran Muhammad, M.D., the director of the Structural Heart Disease Program at Oklahoma Heart Institute... Read More »

A device used for the first time in the world by cardiologists at Oklahoma Heart Institute, part of Hillcrest Medical Center, has now received authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The Edwards PASCAL Precision system is used in the treatment of severe degenerative mitral regurgitation (DMR) in patients who are high-risk for surgery. The device, with its independent grasping, atraumatic clasp and closure, and ability to elongate, enables safe and effective treatment for patients with DMR, according to Edwards Lifesciences Corporation.

The FDA approval... Read More »

Improving your heart health is literally just a walk in the park.

Oklahoma Heart Institute, part of Hillcrest, partnered with the City of Owasso to provide educational signs to encourage healthy lifestyle improvements along the new Heart Healthy 5K trail near the Owasso Sports Complex.

“We had no other partner that we could think of than Oklahoma Heart Institute,” said Larry Langford, director of recreation and culture for the City of Owasso. “They are a group that is about education, prevention and saving lives. I want to share my gratitude to OHI for the partnership that... Read More »

Have you ever had concerns with your heartbeat? A cardiac electrophysiologist just might be the health care provider that treats you. Siva Soma, M.D., cardiac electrophysiologist with Oklahoma Heart Institute, answers some questions about his field and how it can impact you.

• What does a cardiac electrophysiologist do?

A cardiac electrophysiologist specializes in the treatment of heart rhythm disorders, abnormal rhythms from the heart’s electrical system.

• What is the difference between cardiology and cardiac electrophysiology?

Cardiology is a branch of... Read More »