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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 »

TAVR Patient Credits Procedure for Independence, Enjoying Life

When Elaine Curtis lost her son in November of 2012, her daughter says the overwhelming grief took a tool on her mother’s health. “She just kept getting sicker and sicker,” says Karen Wright. “We were to the point we were discussing if she could live in her house.” Elaine was experiencing difficulty breathing and it appeared her health was failing.

“Then we went to see Dr. Muhammad,” recalls Karen. “He told her there was a new procedure that could be done. Mother and I were excited. We wanted to do anything we could do!” 

At 91, Elaine admits she was trying to live as... Read More »

Marking Milestones after Two Heart Attacks and Cardiac Rehab

As the doors of the elevator open on the second floor of the Bell II building, where Hillcrest Exercise and Lifestyle Programs is located, Carol Lambert carries a platter of fruit and a heart of gratitude as she encounters familiar faces. She is returning for her normal workout at 4:00 p.m. and greeted by Supervisor Chris Bousum and others, who welcome her with hugs and words of encouragement. On this day, at this time, Carol celebrates a special milestone with the people who understand it as much as she does. “At about 4 o’clock on Sunday two years ago, I drove to the minor emergency... Read More »

8 Ways You’re Hurting Your Heart Health

How many times a day do you stop to think about your heart? Are you thankful for the 72 beats per minute, 100,000 beats a day or 38 million beats each year? Or, do you only stop to think about your heart when you notice it missed a beat? For many of us, the organ with the sole job of pumping would greatly benefit from us putting a little more thought into how our actions are impacting our heart health. Here are hidden ways you may be hurting your heart health and not realize it.

Skipping Breakfast

Do you find yourself hitting the snooze button then racing to get out the door on time... Read More »

How much do you know about secondhand smoke?

The U.S. Surgeon General recently announced that unless tobacco use rates fall, more than 5.6 million children in the United States will die early. Calling for a “tobacco-free generation” Surgeon General Dr Boris Lushniak released the first report in more than a decade to get the country talking about the leading cause of preventable death in our nation. However, as we know, you don’t have to be the smoker to impact your health.

Did you know? 

Exposure to secondhand smoke increases your risk of stroke by 20 to 30 percent and by as much as 42 percent if your spouse is a... Read More »

Could you sleep away high blood pressure?

Resistant hypertension is defined as blood pressure that remains above a goal target when at least 3 medication therapies, including a diuretic, fail to control the blood pressure. This affects an estimated 13 %of the population with high blood pressure, also known as hypertension. For those with sleep apnea, in addition to resistant hypertension, a new study finds patients who were treated with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) experienced a drop in blood pressure levels.

Lead researcher of the study, Dr. Miguel-Angel Martinez-Garcia, Polytechnic University Hospital in... Read More »