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How participating in Dry January can help your heart health

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 »

Cave part of milestone of innovation at Oklahoma Heart Institute

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 »

Dr. Frank Gaffney fuses family, fitness with functional exercise routines

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 »

David Engle finds hope and healing at Oklahoma Heart Institute

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 »

Device first used at OHI receives FDA approval

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 »

OHI partners with City of Owasso for new trail signage

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 »

What cardiac electrophysiology means and how it impacts your heart health

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 »

Marshall takes his health to heart, feels “180 degrees” different

James “JC” Marshall had dealt with chest pains periodically for some time and did not think much of it. Not until he heeded the advice of one Oklahoma Heart Institute doctor and took matters into his own hands, did the Arkansas resident finally improve his long-term outcome.

“It’s really changed my life because I don’t have to worry about it now,” he said.

Despite Marshall’s efforts to downplay his chest pains, his primary care physician ordered a stress test. That’s when Marshall learned there was reason for concern.

“About nine minutes into the stress test, I went... Read More »

HMR program renews Randy Christian's outlook as retirement approaches

After more than 40 years in the asphalt business, Randy Christian looks forward to his pending retirement at the end of 2022.

A grandfather of two with an interest in classic cars, Christian, whose health history includes a pair of strokes, wants to approach his next stage of life with renewed vigor as well. That’s why he turned to the Health Management Resources® (HMR) program at The Weight Loss & Wellness Center at Oklahoma Heart Institute (OHI).

“I wanted somebody to crack the whip on me,” said Christian, whose blood pressure was 218/178 after his second stroke and... Read More »

Former marathoner regains confidence to live healthy life after weight loss

When you train your body to be in great shape, you not only look better, you feel better.

Ted J. remembered how great he felt years ago when he was a marathon runner. But now, with a BMI of 31, Ted needed to lose weight and keep it off.

Thanks to a fraternity brother, Ted found a good way to lose weight and live a healthy life again.

“I was at a college reunion at my fraternity and introduced myself to someone there,” said Ted. “Turns out that I knew him, I just didn’t recognize him because he had lost more than 50 pounds. Since I needed to lose weight, I asked, ‘How... Read More »