Latest news with #NationalHeartMonth
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
AMR Evansville celebrates lifesaving work during National Heart Month
HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) — AMR Evansville is highlighting its lifesaving work during National Heart Month. AMR Evansville provides emergency and non-emergency medical services for the city and Vanderburgh County such as paramedics and ambulances. The organization says they surpass national benchmarks in cardiac arrest survival. 'While a 10% improvement may seem modest in the broader scope, it represents lives saved that otherwise may not have had a chance. For families, it's everything,' said Critical Care Paramedic and Operations Manager Lee Turpen. AMR also says it's committed to making sure more people in the community know CPR by providing training to more than 1,200 people a year. CPR training is available to the public. To learn more or to register for a class, call 812-421-6500. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Ask A Specialist: Calcium Score Test
HONOLULU (KHON2) — February is National Heart Month, a good time to show your heart some love by taking a Calcium Score Test, a simple scan that can go a long way to maintaining a healthy heart.'It's a CT scan that is available for the heart. It doesn't use any contrast or any IV. There's no amount of radiation. We take pictures of someone's heart, and it'll show us how much calcium patients have in their heart vessels which is cholesterol plaques that have deposited over time,' said Dr. Mahdi Veillet-Chowdhury, cardiologist, Queen's Heart Institute at The Queen's Medical Center. 'As cardiologists, that's very important information for us to know.' Causes, symptoms of peripheral artery disease Veillet-Chowdhury said cardiologists want to get all the information possible to understand a patient's risk of having a heart attack or stroke. 'The Calcium Score Test is the most powerful prognostic tool we have. We use it for primary prevention. So, we're trying to prevent a future event. It tells us what the actual disease process is, not what your risk is necessarily. So, when we see calcium, it alerts us that maybe we have to be more aggressive with your medications. Conversely, sometimes this is helpful to determine if we're overmedicating patients. Sometimes, this test leads us to de-escalate some of the care because they're actually at lower risk than we previously determined,' said Veillet-Chowdhury. The Calcium Score Test is covered by insurance for those who meet the guidelines. 'I usually reserve the test for patients who are about 40 years old. Patients who have risk factors such as diabetes, obesity, smoking, family history of heart attack or stroke, patients who have high cholesterol. It helps us to understand the long-term risk, so we can have more tailored therapy, more precision-type medicine to guide their therapy, individualized to that patient,' said Veillet-Chowdhury. 'This is a great test. It helps me to work with their primary care doctors to give a comprehensive evaluation for their long-term heart health.' Check out more news from around Hawaii To learn more about the services provided by Queen's Heart Institute, call (808) 691-8900. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Lifestyle measures to improve your heart health
THIS month commemorates National Heart Month which serves to raise awareness of health conditions related to heart and circulatory disease and promote lifestyle measures to improve your cardiovascular health. There are approximately 7.6 million people living with a heart or circulatory condition in the UK. Coronary heart disease is the most common type and accounts for more than 170,000 deaths each year which is an average of 480 deaths each day or one every three minutes in the UK. There are approximately 100,000 hospital admissions each year due to heart attacks in the UK. Around 1.4 million people in the UK have survived a heart attack and almost a million people have heart failure. The main risk factors for coronary heart disease include a high cholesterol level, high blood pressure and having an irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation. Other risk factors include diabetes, being overweight or obese, having a family history of heart disease affecting first-degree relatives aged under 60 years, smoking tobacco, severe mental illness and taking anti-psychotic medications, poverty and deprivation, ethnicity with the condition being more common in black, Asian and minority ethnic groups, rheumatoid arthritis, using anabolic steroids for bodybuilding and suffering from migraines. Common symptoms of cardiovascular disease include chest pain, feeling short of breath, lightheaded or dizzy, swollen ankles or feet and experiencing palpitations which is a conscious awareness of your heartbeat. Other symptoms commonly associated with chest pain often found in patients with heart disease include the pain spreading to your left arm, neck or jaw, sweating, feeling nauseous and vomiting. However, some patients with heart disease, especially those with diabetes, may have no symptoms. Heart disease can also affect the young — each day in the UK approximately 13 babies are diagnosed with a congenital heart defect which are structural abnormalities you're born with. Furthermore, approximately 12 people aged under 35 years die each week from sudden cardiac death which is when someone dies of a cardiac arrest due to genetic abnormalities affecting the heart muscle or electrical circuits within the heart. There's a lot you can do to enhance your cardiovascular health. Exercise is essential and you should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week, such as walking, cycling or swimming. Additionally, diet plays a big role in improving heart health. Incorporating more fruit, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins while reducing processed foods, salt, saturated fats and refined sugars lowers your risk of coronary artery disease. Drinking red wine in moderation lowers your risk of coronary artery disease and may explain the French paradox. This is the comparatively low rate of coronary artery disease in France compared with other Western countries despite the generally high intake of saturated fat in the French diet. Stopping smoking and learning to constructively manage stress and anger through meditation, yoga and relaxation techniques are key to lowering your risk of cardiovascular disease. Measuring your blood pressure at home and having your cholesterol levels checked are important in lowering your risk of heart disease. Early detection and treatment of both of these significantly lowers your risk of a heart attack or stroke. There are almost 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests each year in the UK. Cardiac arrest is a condition where the heart stops beating and commonly happens at home. There's lots you can do to help during heart month. Learning cardiopulmonary resuscitation, commonly termed CPR, can be done in as little as 15 minutes and can save the life of someone in cardiac arrest by doubling to tripling the chances of survival until they reach hospital. There has been massive pioneering advances in cardiovascular medicine in the last decade with new diagnostic technologies and treatments available to improve the health of your heart and circulation. I would urge all patients concerned about their cardiovascular health to consult their GP. Our columnist Dr Jason Seewoodhary is a former Worcestershire GP.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Williamson Health to host a blood drive for Heart Health Month
In support of Heart Health Month, Williamson Health and the Bone and Joint Institute of Tennessee are hosting a drive to increase their supply of blood platelets and plasma. In 1964, then-President Lyndon B. Johnson designated February as American Heart Month in order to bring more awareness to heart disease, one of the leading causes of deaths in the U.S. 'We are still experiencing winter shortages and are in critical need for donations,' said Brooke Katz, spokesperson for Blood Assurance. 'Please consider spreading the love this National Heart Month by donating blood to save lives.' On Feb. 18 from 11a.m.-5 p.m., at 3000 Edward Curd Lane, participants can help increase the life-saving supply that helps those who are suffering from illnesses that often require blood transfusions. Blood donors who give between Feb. 15-28 will be automatically entered to win a $500 e-gift card for spring break. One winner will be randomly selected and contacted March 5. Additionally, O-negative whole blood and AB plasma donors will receive a $25 e-gift card. Winners can choose from over 90 retailers, and e-gift cards will be sent to the email address listed on the donor's profile. Walk-ins are welcome but donors are encouraged to sign up a head of time. Those interested in donating must be at least 17 years old (16 years old with parental consent), weigh 110 pounds or more and be in good health. Donors are asked to drink plenty of fluids — avoiding caffeine — and eat a meal that is rich in iron prior to donating. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Williamson Health hosting Heart Health Month blood drive
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
‘Thank you': First responders who saved man at Grand Rapids Marathon honored
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A man who suffered a heart attack during the Grand Rapids Marathon last year watched Wednesday as the people who helped save his life were honored. 'You guys do this on a daily basis, and it means so much to me,' Tim Ruff said. Ruff, who had no history of heart trouble, collapsed while running the half-marathon in October. A doctor and nurse who happened to be running behind him started CPR. The Life EMS ambulance crew that arrived moments later said the fast response was crucial. 'The nurse being right behind Tim starting CPR immediately, doing very good hard fast compressions, and the fact that we were right around the corner could not have given us a better outcome,' Megan Daniels, a paramedic, said. 'A police officer was also coming up and they had an AED in their hands, so we got their AED to use and then I was working on getting ready to get some oxygen going,' James Hadley, an EMT, said. 'Know CPR': Post heart-attack, GR Marathon runner shares his story The ambulance crew was honored at the Heart Savers Luncheon in celebration of National Heart Month. Ruff spoke at the event. 'I don't remember the day really as well as everybody else did, and so some of that just is great to see faces, hear their story, hear what they saw,' he said. 'And then also just see everybody and see what they do on a daily basis.' A doctor who was part of the emergency response team for the marathon praised those who rushed to aid Ruff. 'Seconds are life. And so the more quickly you can get to somebody and assess what the problem is and make sure someone is doing CPR, getting the blood flowing, getting an AED on it as soon as possible (the better),' Dr. Ed Kornoelje, medical director for sports medicine at University of Michigan Health-West, said. Griffins to honor heart transplant recipient Life EMS founder and President Mark Meijer presented the awards at the luncheon. He said awareness and having an emergency plan in place are crucial. 'We all kind of take it for granted. We get complacent because, gosh, we brought this AED, it's been in a cabinet on the wall and nobody has opened up that cabinet in six years,' Meijer said. Ruff said having the tools and trained staff nearby gave him a new chance on life. 'These are people that do this day in and day out, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you,' Ruff said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
