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Blog

Muskogee man praises doctors following battle with COVID-19, double lung transplant

For Skylar Green, 36, a patrol lieutenant for the Muskogee County Sheriff’s Office, the first few days of being ill with COVID-19 felt like the flu. He had body aches and a fever. But by days five and six, congestion had settled in his lungs and he was having difficulty breathing.

That’s when his wife, Aariel Green, took him to the emergency room at a nearby hospital, where a COVID test confirmed that he was positive for the coronavirus. Skylar Green was diagnosed with COVID pneumonia.

The couple was sent home with a pulse oximeter, a device that uses light beams to estimate... Read More »

School bus driver who suffers a cardiac event saved by OHI expertise, technology

For Roger Glenn, a 69-year-old living in Grove, Oklahoma, with his wife and son, the day started normal enough.

He woke early and decided to sit and read until getting ready for his current vocation: driving a public school bus. But as he was walking to his recliner, he felt a severe pain – first in his groin and then in his chest - like something was sitting on him.

“The pain was terrible,” Glenn said. “I called out to my wife and told her I needed to go to the emergency room, but as she was getting ready, the pain got worse and I was scared about what was going on. So I... Read More »

Weight Loss Program Offered at Oklahoma Heart Institute Helps Millions Lose Weight

Every day there’s another new diet trending around the country: GOLO, keto, Mediterranean, Mayo Clinic, DASH, Weight Watchers and flexitarian, just to name a few.

However, if you want a weight loss program that delivers real results under expert medical supervision, look to the Health Management Resources (HMR) program offered at the Weight Loss & Wellness Center at Oklahoma Heart Institute.

Rated as one of the Best Diets by U.S. News & World Report for the past six years, HMR has helped more than 1 million people lose weight. Many people in the HMR program lost 2-3... Read More »

Managing Diabetes

American Diabetes Month is celebrated each November to raise awareness for those living with diabetes and pre-diabetes, something impacting nearly 1 in 10 Americans. Providers from Oklahoma Heart Institute's endocrinology team came together to provide insight on blood sugar levels, diabetes-related kidney disease, contracting COVID-19 as a diabetic and ways you can work to prevent and control diabetes.

Blood sugar levels can depend on several factors.

“Fasting blood sugar levels should be below 130 mg/dl,” said Christian Hanson, D.O. Two hours post meal, blood sugar levels... Read More »

Inari FlowTriever Procedure Saves Man’s Life

Mark Milton, a retired educator of 37 years, has enjoyed an active lifestyle. Originally from Southern California and now residing in Arkansas, he enjoys the outdoors — fishing, golfing, wine tasting and traveling with his wife.

Milton’s health took a dramatic turn in December 2019 when he suffered a stroke. He made a full recovery, but lived a sedentary lifestyle that caused several health-related issues. When Milton began struggling with sleep apnea, he decided to have a sleep study performed in February 2020.

His wife picked him up from the sleep study the next morning,... Read More »

Michael Newnam talks with Ch. 2 about another pandemic byproduct, 'coronasomia'

The pandemic has altered many elements of everyday life including sleep patterns, according to Michael Newnam, M.D., co-director of sleep medicine at Oklahoma Heart Institute.

Dr. Newnam described the condition as coronasomnia. Because of the pandemic, some have lost their boundaries between work and home environments.

"Many people are doing school and work in the home environment, so there’s no separation,” Dr. Newnam said. So you’re never really leaving work because that’s where you live.”

Learn his sleep tips in this KJRH interview here.

Adam Betz speaks with Ch. 6 about increase of younger ECMO patients during COVID

Adam Betz, M.D., director of pulmonary ECMO at OklahomaHeart, talks about the rise in ECMO treatments with young COVID patients.

"If you are that sick, this is a life-changing experience from there forward," Betz said. "They're going to remember the physical scars, they're going to remember the shortness of breath. We get a lot of them back to their families but it's difficult to ever go back to normal."

See his entire interview with KOTV – News on 6 here.

OHI patient among youngest in state to under go his-bundle pacing procedure

Teenager Hunter Parrick is one of the youngest in the state to undergo his-bundle pacing surgery from Oklahoma Heart Institute.

Traditional pacemaker leads, or wires, pace the muscle of the bottom chambers, leading to an unnatural squeeze. His-bundle leads are placed within the natural conduction system of the heart, allowing for a normal and natural squeeze.

Watch the News On 6 story here.

High blood pressure patients may be at greater risk to COVID-19 symptoms

Individuals dealing with high blood pressure could be among those at greater risk to COVID-19.

Ankit Chothani, M.D., a specialist in interventional and peripheral endovascular cardiology with Oklahoma Heart Institute, said people impacted by high blood pressure can be more suspectable to contracting the virus and possibly suffering longer-term symptoms.

“These changes can make patients with uncontrolled hypertension more susceptible to acquire the COVID-19 virus,” Chothani said. “In some scenarios, it can also lead to a dangerous overreaction of the immune system. Close... Read More »

Tragedy Sparks a Miracle for Brother-In-Law of Heart Attack Victim

Larrita Nichols commonly prefaces her family’s story with the notion: “As life would have it, miracles often happen out of tragedy.”

Nichols lost her brother, Weston Siglin, due to a massive heart attack on Nov. 2, 2019.

Her family has a very prevalent history of heart disease, but her brother had only recently been diagnosed with high blood pressure and exhibited no additional signs of heart disease. Needless to say, at 52 years old, Siglin’s death was a shock to the family.

This incident was devastating to the entire family, but Nichols took it particularly hard.... Read More »