OKLAHOMA CITY— The Oklahoma Heart Hospital and Oklahoma Cardiovascular Associates are celebrating Valentine’s Day and Wear Red month by inaugurating a new Centennial display at the hospital that honors Red Fashions through the decades of Oklahoma’s 100 years. The display will be celebrated on Valentine’s Day – the day of hearts.

“We are weaving our commitment to women’s heart health with the national “Wear Red” campaign and Oklahoma’s Centennial this year with a fabulous display of red dresses throughout the 100 year history of Oklahoma,” said Peggy Tipton, R.N., Chief Operating Officer, Oklahoma Heart Hospital. “Our team has searched for vintage dresses from across the country and designed and sewn antique dresses representing the 10 decades of Oklahoma’s Centennial.”

The Centennial dresses feature an outstanding woman from Oklahoma’s history representing each decade of the 100 years. The exhibit recognizes the famous Pioneer Woman from Ponca City – the flamboyant flapper of the Oil fields in the 20’s – the nation’s first black judge – the first female awarded a Purple Heart in World War II and many more notable Oklahoma women.

“The facts of women’s heart disease in Oklahoma continue to shock us, the average age for heart disease among Oklahoma women is 49 years old. Heart disease is the #1 killer of women – taking more Oklahoma women’s lives than all of the cancers combined, 1 in 3 women in our state will develop heart disease. And yet a recent Harris poll revealed only 13 percent of women in America believes that heart disease and stroke are the greatest health threat to women.” – Dr. John Harvey, Chief Executive Officer, Oklahoma Heart Hospital.

THE HEART TRUTH IS:

One in three women dies of heart disease. One in 30 dies of cancer.

Nearly two-thirds of American women who die suddenly of a heart attack had no prior symptoms.

Two-thirds of American women who have had a heart attack don’t make a full recovery.

American women can lower their risk of heart disease by as much as 82 percent by leading a healthy lifestyle.

OKLAHOMA WOMEN FACTS

Heart disease is the number one killer of Oklahoma women

Oklahoma women rank third in the nation in rate of heart disease

51% of heart attack deaths in Oklahoma are in women (2003)

80,000 Oklahoma women hospitalized with heart disease (2001)

Average Oklahoman woman’s age for heart disease is 49 years old

Oklahoma has third highest smoking rate in America

Diabetes has increased 43% in past decade in Oklahoma

One in 5 Oklahomans has high blood pressure

One in 5 Oklahomans has high cholesterol

PREVENTION

Avoid smoking and environmental tobacco smoke

30 minutes of exercise on most days

Control diabetes

Heart-healthy diet including a variety of fruits and vegetables, grains, low-fat or no-fat dairy products, fish, legumes and proteins low in saturated fat

Watch your weight

Maintain a blood pressure less than 120/80

Control cholesterol …LDL higher than 100 mg

HDL lower than 50 mg

Triglycerides lower than 150 mg

Oklahoma Cardiovascular Associates is the states largest group of cardiovascular specialists with 40 physicians in nearly 40 clinics across Oklahoma, including the Oklahoma Heart Hospital. ocaheart.com

The Oklahoma Heart Hospital is the state’s first all-digital hospital totally focused on the care of hearts.

COMPLEX PACEMAKER ACHIEVES SYNCHRONY OF THE HEART

Improves Heart Pumping Function in 75% of Heart Failure Patients

By Dr. Mark Harvey

Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT) is the use of an implantable computerized device to restore the natural synchronized beating of the lower chambers of the heart, the ventricles, to treat chronic heart failure. The right and left ventricles must beat in a synchronized pattern to get the blood pumped optimally from the heart to deliver oxygen to the rest of the body. When the ventricles are out of sync - the heart function declines - patients experience marked shortness of breath, dry cough, swelling in the ankles, weight gain, fatigue and a rapid or irregular heartbeat.

A special kind of implantable cardiac device, called a biventricular defibrillator, can restore the hearts synchrony and improve the movement of oxygen through the body, dramatically improving heart failure patient’s symptoms. The implantation of a biventricular pacemaker improves symptoms in about 75% of heart failure patients.

The biventricular defibrillator is implanted in the Electrophysiology lab at the Oklahoma Heart Hospital. The lab is configured with electronic equipment and special heart monitoring equipment to analysis and test the conduction system of the heart, a cardiovascular specialist called a Cardiac Electrophysiologist performs the procedure.

The biventricular pulse generator is implanted under the skin of the chest. Soft electric wires or leads are inserted through key veins of the heart to electrically stimulate the heart in these areas. The device monitors and paces the heart like a normal pacemaker, it can shock the heart if needed like a defibrillator and it resynchronizes the pumping of the heart by pulsing the left ventricle.

During the implantation the patient is under conscious sedation, they are aware of what is happening and can speak to the doctor if needed. They are kept painfree and don’t remember the procedure.

First, a pocket for the device is made just under the skin near the collar bone. The device is made of a titanium shell. A battery, capacitors and a computer are inside monitoring and logging every beat of the heart. This implantable computer senses irregular heart beats, either slow or fast, and instructs the unit how to correct the irregular rhythms.

Using an x-ray fluoroscope monitor the Electrophysiologist inserts the three leads into the appropriate locations of the heart. One monitors the upper chamber of the heart for slow rhythms, another is placed in the right ventricle to deliver a life-saving shock if needed and the third lead syncs the lowers pumping chambers of the heart. The device is then placed into the skin pocket and is evaluated externally to test the function of each lead. The patient is given a shock to ensure the device is functioning properly before the surgeon closes the pocket.

The procedure lasts from one to three hours. The patient will be kept in the hospital overnight for monitoring and testing and most go home the next day. The risk of the procedure is about 1%. Patients need to restrict their arm movement in the area of the device for about a week and avoid strenuous exercise for 6 weeks.

The morning after the procedure, the patient has an x-ray to check lung function and the position of the device. In follow-up exams, the biventricular device data is downloaded to a computer allowing evaluation of the performance of the patient’s heart and pacing. An antenna is placed over the skin above the device and a machine known as a programmer downloads the information.

Often, patients also undergo an echocardiogram during the same visit to ensure the device and the patient’s heart are working together for optimal efficiency. A technician electronically measures the functioning of the device while a sonographer physically watches the hearts function with the ultrasound. Adjustments can be made to the device to improve efficiency.

The Electrophysiologist can use the data to determine if further changes need to be made to the patient’s biventricular pacing device or medications to improve heart function.

Patients may be given a remote instrument that attaches to their home phone so that they can phone data into the physician’s office at anytime by putting the remote antenna over the skin above their device. The remote unit lessens the need for visits to the doctor’s office and keeps the physician informed as to the biventricular pacemaker’s performance long-distance.

Candidates for a biventricular defibrillator are those with moderate or severe heart failure, low ejection fraction levels (levels that measure the pumping ability of the heart), those whose heart failure medications are not adequately treating symptoms and patients diagnosed with ventricular desynchrony. Clinical trials demonstrate an overall improvement in the patient’s quality of life, increased physical activity, and ability to exercise.

Resynchronization therapy with biventricular pacing is one part of a comprehensive heart failure management program. Not long ago, chronic heart failure was a diagnosis with few treatments and little hope. Today, carefully monitored medications, weight gain, diet and lifestyle changes along with frequent visits with a heart failure specialist have changed chronic heart failure into a disease with many treatment options and a new horizon of hope.

NATIONALLY-KNOWN CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE EXPERT CHOSEN TO HEAD NATION-WIDE RESEARCH INTO HEART FAILURE MANAGEMENT DEVICE

Dr. Philip Adamson, Medical Director for the Heart Failure Institute at Oklahoma Heart Hospital Tapped to Evaluate Combination Implantable Defibrillator and Continuous Blood Pressure Monitoring Device

OKLAHOMA CITY—Medtronic, Inc. announced today that Oklahoma physician Dr. Philip B. Adamson, a cardiologist with Oklahoma Cardiovascular Associates, was chosen to head a large multi-center clinical trial. The trial will evaluate an experimental implanted device called the “Chronicle-ICD”, which combines an implantable cardioverter defibrillator with a continuous blood pressure monitoring device permanently implanted inside the heart. The Chronicle-ICD trial will enroll 850 patients in over 70 centers nationwide. Dr. Adamson will be the steering committee chairperson and Principle Investigator for the Medtronic sponsored trial.

“This is a very great honor and responsibility. The trial is the first to evaluate an implanted device that combines an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, or ‘ICD’ with a continuous internal blood pressure monitoring device directly implanted in the heart,” noted Dr. Adamson. “ICD’s effectively reduce the risk of sudden death in patients with heart failure, but only really provide therapy at the time of an abnormal heartbeat. The vast majority of patients with ICD’s never have therapy delivered from the implanted device. This trial will be the most important opportunity to see if enhancing the monitoring features of an ICD with continuous hemodynamic monitoring will improve lives of patients who undergo implantation of the device.”

Dr. Adamson is the Director of the Heart Failure Institute at Oklahoma Heart Hospital and is a Cardiologist that specializes in treating patients with congestive heart failure. “Patients with heart failure often times accumulate too much fluid in their bodies, which makes it difficult for them to breathe or walk. Hospitalizations are required in many instances to get the fluid problem under control. Heart failure contributes to over 3 million hospitalizations in the United States and is the leading cause of hospitalization in individuals over the age of 65 years,” Dr. Adamson continued. “A critical problem with congestive heart failure is knowing how the heart is handling the excess fluid that is chronic with this disease. This internal monitoring could give us a valuable new tool in accessing the unseen effects of the fluid in the heart before the patient goes into crisis.”

5 million Americans have congestive heart failure an additional 550,000 are diagnosed with it each year. Congestive heart failure is the number one cause of hospital admissions and the cost to society exceeds $37 billion each year. Just 10 years ago half of the people diagnosed with congestive heart disease died within five years, today the death rate in five years has dropped to just 15%.

Congestive heart failure is typically a menacing disease that causes a steady decline in the pumping ability of the heart muscle causing the walls of the heart to enlarge. This makes the heart work much harder and causes fluid to build up in the lungs, liver, abdomen and lower extremities. The heart can become so weak that it fails to pump enough oxygen and nutrients to meet the body’s needs. Congestive heart failure is most commonly caused by damage to the heart muscles from heart attacks due to heart vessel blockages and high blood pressure. Other causes also occur such as heart valve damage from infection or irregular heart beats.

Oklahoma Heart Hospital is the state’s first all-digital hospital totally focused on the care of hearts. okheart.com

Oklahoma Cardiovascular Associates is the state’s largest group of cardiovascular specialists with 37 physicians in nearly 40 clinics across Oklahoma, including the Oklahoma Heart Hospital. For the location nearest you call 888-777-3818 or go to ocaheart.com

Oklahoma Cardiovascular Associates/Oklahoma Heart Hospital Team with OSSAA for Championship Saturday

February 27, 2007

The Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association is proud to announce its partnership with Oklahoma Cardiovascular Associates/Oklahoma Heart Hospital during the 2007 Oklahoma High School Basketball State Championship March 1-3 and 8-10. OCA/OHH, for the third consecutive year, will serve as sponsor of the Academic Team Champions on “Championship Saturday” March 3^rd and 10^th at the State Fair Arena in Oklahoma City and the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman. OCA/OHH will recognize the 14 girls and boys’ academic team champions in classes B-6A. Each Academic Team Champion will be awarded $400 in honor of their scholastic achievement.

Oklahoma Cardiovascular Associates is the state’s largest group of cardiovascular specialists with physicians in more than 40 clinics across Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Heart Hospital is one of the nation’s first all-digital hospitals totally focused on the care of hearts.

“Athletics play a valuable role in the development of young people and serve as a source of pride for communities across Oklahoma,” commented OSSAA Executive Director Danny Rennels. “Our member schools are very appreciative of Oklahoma Cardiovascular Associates and Oklahoma Heart Hospital for their participation. Their support has a huge impact on young people, schools and communities.”

Dr. John Harvey Named New CEO at Oklahoma Heart Hospital

Increased Demand for Cardiovascular Care in Oklahoma Prompts Creation of New Position

January 24, 2007

Dr. John Harvey has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Oklahoma Heart Hospital. Dr. Harvey was unanimously appointed by the hospital board after holding the position of co-president for the hospital since it was built in 2002.

“The growth at Oklahoma Heart Hospital in the past four-and-a-half years has far exceeded our expectations in patient volume and quality markers,” noted Dr. Harvey. “We can have no greater measure of success than the approval of our patients and the assurance they are getting the best possible medical care.”

The Oklahoma Heart Hospital was the first all-digital hospital in the nation when it opened in 2002. Press Ganey Associates, a nationally recognized company that measures the level of patient satisfaction among the nation’s top hospitals, named the Oklahoma Heart Hospital a 2006 Summit Award winner. OHH has ranked at 99% in patient satisfaction for the past three straight years.

The Center for Medicare Services (CMS) has also ranked OHH in the top five percent of hospitals in achieving its quality care core measures. In 2005, New York Times singled out the Oklahoma Heart Hospital as the top hospital in the nation in quality measures administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. OHH achieved a 100 percent rating for delivering quality treatment to the highest number of cardiovascular patients.

Patient admissions to the hospital have increased more than 30 percent and steadily climbed every year, ER visits have skyrocketed to more than 80 percent

“Oklahoma is number one in the nation for heart disease, a sad statistic that we at the Oklahoma Heart Hospital are passionate about changing. The significant growth we’ve experienced tells us Oklahomans are eager to address their cardiovascular disease either in treatment or prevention,” continued Dr. Harvey. “To address the increase for cardiovascular and vascular services, we will likely consider expanding our facilities here at OHH in the future. Dealing with that growth has prompted the need for a CEO level administrator.”

Dr. Harvey will continue his patient contact as an interventional cardiologist with OHH and Oklahoma Cardiovascular Associates.

Nationally Known Congestive Heart Failure Expert Leads Team in Nation’s First Implantation of Tiny Monitoring Device at Oklahoma Heart Hospital

FDA Study Conducted by Dr. Philip Adamson and Oklahoma Cardiovascular Research Group

December 22, 2006

OKLAHOMA CITY—An Oklahoma man is the first in the nation to receive a wireless pressure sensor that is so tiny it can actually be implanted in an artery around the heart, to monitor the fluid pressures of the heart. The device was implanted at the Oklahoma Heart Hospital by Dr. Philip Adamson, national known congestive heart failure expert. The FDA study in Oklahoma is being coordinated by Oklahoma Cardiovascular Research Group, (OCRG), the research arm of Oklahoma Cardiovascular Associates.

The wireless sensor is a proprietary miniature device developed by CardioMEMS which is delivered to the patient’s pulmonary artery using a simple, catheter based procedure. The pulmonary artery pressure is then measured and displayed using a proprietary electronic monitoring system that acts like an antenna.

Dr. Philip Adamson, Medical Director of the Heart Failure Institute at Oklahoma Heart Hospital, is the principal researcher on the FDA study: “One of the hallmarks of congestive heart failure is that blood and fluid pressure back up around the heart resulting in an excess of fluids entering the lungs and other body tissues. That fluid pressure build-up typically goes unseen until it creates a crisis in the patient’s condition often requiring hospitalization. This monitoring device is being tested to enable detection of fluid build up before it becomes a crisis.”

Once the tiny device is implanted, the data derived from the CardioMEMS system can be communicated remotely to the physician’s office.

“This ability to remotely monitor heart pressures has the potential to dramatically improve patient outcomes,” continued Dr. Adamson. “Our greatest success in managing heart failure comes when we can frequently check a patient’s condition and adjust their medications and treatment protocol accordingly. We believe the ability to monitor patients remotely can increase the potential for success and at the same time will be easier on the patient who doesn’t have to come into the clinic as often.”

Oklahoma Cardiovascular Associates is the state’s largest group of cardiovascular specialists with 39 physicians in nearly 40 clinics across Oklahoma, including the Oklahoma Heart Hospital.

The Oklahoma Heart Hospital is the state’s first all-digital hospital totally focused on the care of hearts and the vascular system.

About CardioMEMS, Inc.

CardioMEMS is a medical device company that has developed and is commercializing a proprietary wireless sensing and communication technology for the human body. CardioMEMS’ technology platform is designed to improve the management of severe chronic cardiovascular diseases such as aneurysms, heart failure and hypertension. CardioMEMS’ miniature wireless sensors can be implanted using minimally-invasive techniques and transmit cardiac output, blood pressure and heart rate data which are critical to the management of patients.

OKLAHOMA HEART HOSPITAL IMPLANTING INVESTIGATIONAL HEART MONITOR TO TEST MANAGEMENT OF HEART FAILURE

Dr. Philip Adamson Principal Clinical Investigator in National Study

OCTOBER 24, 2006

A physician at Oklahoma Heart Hospital has implanted an investigational device in an Oklahoma man as part of a study to determine if the new device can help treat chronic heart failure patients by detecting changes in pressure of the heart.

Dr. Mark Harvey, an electrophysiologist at Oklahoma Cardiovascular Specialists, implanted the first device. Dr. Philip Adamson, medical director of the Heart Failure Institute, is an investigator in the HOMEOSTASIS II (Hemodynamically Guided Home Self-Therapy in Severe Heart Failure Patients) feasibility trial. The feasibility trial will help determine if enough is known about the system to pursue a pivotal study that can evaluate the system’s safety and effectiveness in treating chronic heart failure.

The trial is a prospective, multi-center, non-randomized, open label study collecting safety and effectiveness data about St. Jude Medical’s HeartPOD® Heart Failure Management System.

“The HeartPOD is designed to give real-time data about the pressures in the heart to find out if patients are accumulating too much fluid,” noted Dr. Adamson. “Currently, we use other external cues to determine the pressures or pumping power of the heart muscle, such as water weight gain, oxygen saturation levels and respiration rates. Those indicators are not very precise and may not give us all information that this implantable device could provide to manage heart failure.”

The system consists of a permanently implanted blood pressure sensor that is placed in the heart and is connected to an implanted communications coil. This system is designed to allow the patient to directly monitor left atrial pressure; the readings from the implant are communicated from within the heart to a hand-held computer called a Patient Advisory Module. That information can be reviewed by the physician and used to adjust heart failure therapies and medications on a dose-by-dose basis.

“This trial is designed to discover if knowing atrial pressures as they are rising in a patient may help us immediately determine the proper dosage and sequence of medications to help keep our patients’ cardiovascular systems under control and keep the them out of the hospital,” continued Dr. Adamson. “Think of this monitoring device for heart failure patients as you would a home glucose monitoring device for diabetics. In a similar way, this device may provide information that helps patients get the exact amount of medication needed at the right time.”

Left atrial pressure is a red flag for predicting an acute phase of worsening heart failure that can lead to water accumulating in the lungs, lung congestion, and a spiraling heart condition that requires urgent hospitalization. This cascading accumulation of water in the lungs accounts for 90 percent of hospitalizations in heart failure patients and a three to four-fold increase in death.

The HOMEOSTASIS II trial is being conduced at a limited number of U.S. centers. The trial will assess preliminary safety and effectiveness data of the HeartPOD System, including being evaluated as a means to provide an early warning system of potential acute heart failure episodes.

Five million Americans already suffer from chronic heart failure, and an additional 550,000 Americans are diagnosed with it each year. Congestive heart failure is the number one cause of hospital admissions and the cost to society exceeds $37 billion each year.

Just 10 years ago half of the people diagnosed with congestive heart disease died within five years; today the death rate in five years has dropped to just 15 percent.

“With advanced heart monitoring therapies, new research applications and new training for physicians in early detection, we are turning the tables on congestive heart failure by replacing hopelessness with real hope,” concluded Dr. Adamson.

The HeartPOD System was granted an Investigational Device Exemption by the U.S. Food Drug Administration for use in this feasibility trial.

Oklahoma Cardiovascular Associates is the state’s largest group of cardiovascular specialists with 39 physicians in nearly 40 clinics across Oklahoma, including the Oklahoma Heart Hospital.

The Oklahoma Heart Hospital is the state’s first all-digital hospital totally focused on the care of hearts and the vascular system.

The local research is being coordinated by Oklahoma Cardiovascular Research Group, (OCRG), the research arm of Oklahoma Cardiovascular Associates.

Oklahoma Heart Hospital Receives “Best Acute Care Hospitals Award”

Award Honors Oklahoma Hospital for Excellence in Caring for Most Critical Cardiovascular Patients

May 15, 2006

OKLAHOMA CITY—Oklahoma Heart Hospital (OHH) has received the Total Benchmark Solution Top 100 Quality Award for Best Acute Care Hospitals over the past year, based upon quality measure data provided by U.S. health care organizations to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). CMS is the federal agency responsible for administering Medicare, Medicaid, and several other health-related programs.

The Oklahoma Heart Hospital was selected for its excellence markers in caring for patients with heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, and in surgery.

“This award means a great deal to our team because it recognizes our commitment to quality care measures in specific areas that truly impact our patient outcomes,” noted Peggy Tipton, R.N., Chief Operating Officer. “Our physicians and nurses have worked very hard to make these quality measures routine practice here at the Oklahoma Heart Hospital so that our patients and their families will know they are getting the very best care.”

Hospitals collect the data for the CMS quality measures by abstracting data from the hospitals’ patient records. The measures used are based upon 16 quality measures endorsed by the National Quality Forum (NQF), Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS). Such quality measures include simple efforts such as dispensing an aspirin to the patient upon arrival with a suspected heart attack, to complicated processes such as prescribing a Percutaneous Coronary Intervention with 120 minutes of arrival to the hospital with an acute myocardial infarction.

OHH is among the top hospitals in the nation in patient satisfaction, with a 99^th percentile ranking from the Press Ganey Associates’ survey of more than 850 hospitals and 500,000 patients. OHH is among the highest performing hospitals on every question in the survey.

OHH strives for optimum nursing staffing, no nurse at OHH ever cares for more than four patients at once. Four patients for each nurse is the maximum nurse to patient ratio. OHH maintains a 98% retention rate for its nurses, and the average experience for an OHH nurse is 9 years.

Oklahoma Heart Hospital is the state’s first all-digital hospital totally focused on the care of hearts.

Oklahoma Cardiovascular Associates is the states largest group of cardiovascular specialists with 37 physicians in nearly 40 clinics across Oklahoma, including the Oklahoma Heart Hospital.

Total Benchmark Solution, LLC is a leading provider of benchmarking, decision support, and consulting services for healthcare organizations throughout North America. TBS is based in Steamboat Springs, Colorado and South Bend, Indiana and was founded by recognized healthcare benchmarking and quality experts Bradley Petersen and John O'Brien. TBS's vision is to be the industry standard for measuring and benchmarking the cost, staffing, quality and satisfaction of healthcare service. The firm's benchmarking and consulting services increase clients' operations effectiveness through benchmarking focused performance improvement initiatives to manage costs, improved customer service, and enhance the quality of patient care.

2007 Heart Heroes Announced!

...read the dramatic stories of this year's recipients

Watch the Heart Hero Announcement Here

NEWS 9 Heart Hero Story #1

NEWS 9 Heart Hero Story #2

NEWS 9 Heart Hero Story #3

100 Years of Fashion Goes Red – Official Centennial Event –

Celebrated Valentine’s Day

OklahomaHeart Hospital and Oklahoma Cardiovascular Associates Celebrate “Wear Red” Campaign to Educate Oklahoma Women about

Risk of Heart Disease

February 14, 2007

A compliment to the Centennial display is a display of red dresses donated by Oklahoma’s First Ladies. Donna Nigh will join the celebration, Cathy Keating will be on hand to tell her family’s personal story battling heart disease, and the daughters of Shirley Bellmon will talk about the impact of their mother’s death to heart disease on that family. NBA Hornet forward Marc Jackson will present a specially made red Hornets uniform to the exhibit during the event to honor women with heart disease.

THE HEART TRUTH IS:

One in three women dies of heart disease. One in 30 dies of cancer.

Nearly two-thirds of American women who die suddenly of a heart attack had no prior symptoms.

Two-thirds of American women who have had a heart attack don’t make a full recovery.

American women can lower their risk of heart disease by as much as 82 percent by leading a healthy lifestyle.

OKLAHOMAWOMEN FACTS

Heart disease is the number one killer of Oklahoma women

Oklahoma women rank third in the nation in rate of heart disease

51% of heart attack deaths in Oklahoma are in women (2003)

80,000 Oklahoma women hospitalized with heart disease (2001)

Average Oklahoman woman’s age for heart disease is 49 years old

Oklahoma has third highest smoking rate in America

Diabetes has increased 43% in past decade in Oklahoma

One in 5 Oklahomans has high blood pressure

One in 5 Oklahomans has high cholesterol

PREVENTION

Avoid smoking and environmental tobacco smoke

30 minutes of exercise on most days

Control diabetes

Heart-healthy diet including a variety of fruits and vegetables, grains, low-fat or no-fat dairy products, fish, legumes and proteins low in saturated fat

Watch your weight

Maintain a blood pressure less than 120/80

Control cholesterol …LDL higher than 100 mg

HDL lower than 50 mg

Triglycerides lower than 150 mg

Oklahoma Cardiovascular Associatesis the states largest group of cardiovascular specialists with 40 physicians in nearly 40 clinics across Oklahoma, including the Oklahoma Heart Hospital. ocaheart.com

The Oklahoma Heart Hospital is the state’s first all-digital hospital totally focused on the care of hearts.

For the location nearest you call 888-777-3818. okheart.com

Oklahoma Cardiovascular Associates’ Dr. Philip Adamson Named to Editorial Board of Medical Journal for Cardiologists

OKLAHOMA CITY—Oklahoma Cardiovascular Associates today announced that nationally honored heart failure expert and cardiologist Dr. Philip Adamson has been named to the Editorial Board of Congestive Heart Failure, a publication serving specialists and primary care clinicians treating heart failure. Congestive Heart Failure features manuscripts and papers on the prevention and management of congestive heart failure. As a member of the Editorial Board, Adamson will participate in the selection of articles and studies to be included in each issue of the journal.

Dr. Adamson is medical director of the Heart Failure Institute at Oklahoma Heart Hospital and is an Associate Professor of Physiology and Cardiology at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City. Dr. Adamson is also a member of the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Internal Medicine – Cardiovascular Disease. He is the author of a number of ground-breaking scientific papers regarding advancements in the treatment and management of congestive heart failure. Dr. Adamson is frequently invited as a speaker at national and international cardiology symposiums with an emphasis on heart failure.

Congestive Heart Failureis a bimonthly, peer reviewed medical journal circulated to over 22,000 cardiologists specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of heart failure. Indexed in Index Medicus and available on Medline, the publication is recognized as a leading resource for clinicians and cardiologists pursuing the latest advances in the treatment or prevention of congestive heart failure. Congestive Heart Failure is founded on the editorial premise that successful education of primary care providers in the diagnosis and treatment of congestive heart failure will establish standards of care that can be measured and correlated with clinical outcomes. As a peer-reviewed journal, the publication depends on the knowledge and discernment of its editorial board to dictate which articles will ultimately influence the direction of treatment and diagnosis of the disease.

The most recent issue of Congestive Heart Failure features a paper written by Dr. Adamson and collegues detailing the latest data culminating from a worldwide investigation into use of ambulatory hemodynamic monitoring from implanted devices in patients with heart failure. Dr. Adamson’s team assessed the value of information collected by the hemodynamic monitor in tracking and reporting a patient’s fluid volumes and pressures. Such studies may ultimately bring the experimental device into more standard medical practice for heart failure patients.

Oklahoma Cardiovascular Associates is the state’s largest group of cardiovascular specialists with 39 physicians in nearly 40 clinics across Oklahoma, including the Oklahoma Heart Hospital. The Oklahoma Heart Hospital is one of the nation’s first all-digital hospitals totally focused on heart care. For the location nearest you call 888-777-3818. ocaheart.com

Oklahoma Cardiovascular Associates’ Dr. Carl Rubenstein Distinguished as Diplomat with the American Board of Clinical Lipidology

OklahomaExpert Becomes One of the First Physicians Nationwide in New Medical Field

OKLAHOMA CITY—Cardiologist Dr. Carl Rubenstein has been awarded the distinction of Diplomat by the American Board of Clinical Lipidology (ABCL), making him one of the first in the nation to be board certified in the emerging medical specialty of Clinical Lipidology.

Dr. Rubenstein is a cardiologist in private practice with Oklahoma Cardiovascular Associates (OCA), the state’s largest group of cardiovascular specialists in association with the Oklahoma Heart Hospital. Rubenstein is Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and a national expert in the preventive aspect of cardiovascular care, particularly the study of the impact of lipids or fat in the bloodstream. Dr. Rubenstein has been a researcher in many lipid trials including the Coronary Primary Prevention Trial (CCPT), as well as numerous other lipid-lowering research activities.

The American Board of Clinical Lipidology (ABCL) is an independent certifying organization offering the first and only certification program for physicians specializing in Clinical Lipidology. The ABCL has established a rigorous credentialing process and examination that will assess and validate the specialized knowledge and advanced training required to practice in the dynamic and complex field of lipidology.

Lipids refer to a diverse range of molecules, and to some extent it is a catch-all for relatively water-insoluble compounds including liquid fats and oils. Lipidology is the study of the effects of fats in the body, including levels of cholesterol and triglycerides. “We are just beginning to understand the complexity of the effect of lipids in the human body, it certainly is a segment of medicine that deserves more study and specialization,” noted Dr. Rubenstein. “I am thrilled to be part of the first wave of recognized specialists in this growing and diverse field.”

Dr. Rubenstein met very rigorous eligibility requirements to be named a Diplomat with the American Board of Clinical Lipidology. Diplomats must have advanced training and education, experience, and usually an academic appointment or clinical research in the field of lipid disorders.

Dr. Rubenstein joined OCA in 1996 and is a Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Oklahoma. Dr. Rubenstein was the Chairman of the Cardiovascular Committee of Lipid Research Centers Programs of the NIH from 1973-1983. He has multiple publications and lectures on lipid disorders and heart disease. He was a full time faculty member at the University of Oklahoma Department of Medicine from 1972-1982. He was an Associate Member of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation from 1972-1983. From 1993-1995, he was the Vice-Chairman of the Department of Medicine at the Presbyterian Hospital in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and from 1995-1998, he served as the Chairman. He started the Cardiac Rehabilitation Program at the Presbyterian Hospital in 1979, and was its Medical Director until 2002. Dr. Rubenstein currently is Medical Director of the Cardiac Rehabilitation Program for Mercy Health Center and the Oklahoma Heart Hospital.

About the American Board of Clinical Lipidology:

The ABCL was incorporated in 2003 as a private, not-for-profit corporation. Board members are elected by the Board of Directors and serve three-year terms. Primary goals of the Board are to establish lipidology as an independent medical specialty and help build a foundation of educational opportunities that will provide lipid specialists with the ability to advance their professional development, validate their knowledge and advanced training in the field, and ultimately, allow them to demonstrate their commitment to lipidology by obtaining certification as a clinical lipid specialist.

LATEST TECHNOLOGY IN IMAGING DEVICES INCREASING NON-INVASIVE DIAGNOSTIC CAPABILITY

New Cardiac 64-slice CT and Cardiovascular Positron Emission Tomography Scanners Employed at Oklahoma Heart Hospital

OKLAHOMA CITY—The Oklahoma Heart Hospital and Oklahoma Cardiovascular Associates (OCA) have combined resources to bring their patients the latest technology in imaging diagnostics with the addition of a cardiac Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanner and the newest state-of-the-art 64-slice computed tomography (CT) scanner.

"The 64-slice CT scanner has revolutionized cardiovascular medicine by allowing the cardiologist to image and “see” the coronary arteries around the heart with the same high quality and clarity as a more invasive heart catheterization procedure,” said Dr. Leslie Oberst, Director of the Cardiovascular CT Department at the Oklahoma Heart Hospital. “People inherently have risk factors, but up to this time, with the exception of cardiac catherization, we have not been able to pick up these high risk groups noninvasively. I see this test replacing much of the standard stress tests and routine cardiac catherization we are doing today."

The breakthrough technology of the 64-slice CT enables coronary artery disease to be diagnosed much earlier when vessels are narrowed about 20% to 30%. The majority of heart attacks occur suddenly from coronary blockages less than 50% and involving one artery. Most standard stress test imaging offered today can only pick up severe blockages of the coronary arteries. Mild to moderate blockages go undiagnosed.

The 64-slice CT is a virtually pain-free test that offers clear, detailed, high-quality images of the heart and can image other problems such as aortic aneurysm, andblockages in the arteries of the brain and lower extremities.

Oklahoma Heart Hospital’s Cardiac PET Scanner First in the Region

“Positron Emission Tomography is rapidly becoming a major imaging diagnostic tool for cardiovascular disease”, noted Dr. Carolyn Corn, Director of Nuclear Cardiology at OCA. “The PET/CT scan is used in two ways: First, it can detect areas of reduced blood flow in the heart from narrowed arteries. Second, it can differentiate between heart muscle that is scar tissue and heart muscle that is damaged but may still benefit from intervention with medications or other procedures.

PET is different from MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and CT because it measures the metabolic process or chemistry of the tissues in and around the heart, as opposed to simply “seeing” the structure of the heart. PET images the function of the heart muscle rather than the structure of the heart.

A radiopharmaceutical or radioactive tracer is injected, via an IV, and the gamma ray emissions of the tracer are measured by the PET scanner’s array of detectors.

A CTscan is then superimposed on the data to correct for common sources of artifact such as breast implants, obesity, or lung disease. A computer analyzes the data and presents it in images that can be interpreted by the cardiovascular imaging specialist. The data gives images of blood flow and information about the pump function of the heart both at rest and during stress.

Medicare is now covering the 64-slice coronary CT scan; however, private insurance coverage is varied based on the individual insurance company. Universal coverage is expected soon, because once Medicare covers a procedure the insurance companies typically follow. The test costs between $900 to $1500, much less than other current diagnostic tests.

The 64-slice CT is a diagnostic test and not a screening test, therefore a physician must order this test. The patient must have a doctor to follow up on the test results and offer treatment options as needed. For those who do not have a primary physician to consult but still believe their symptoms warrant the test, they can be seen on an per case basis by calling and scheduling an appointment with Dr. Oberst at (405) 608-1664.

Oklahoma Cardiovascular Associatesis the state’s largest group of cardiovascular specialists with 39 physicians in nearly 40 clinics across Oklahoma, including the Oklahoma Heart Hospital. ocaheart.com

The Oklahoma Heart Hospital is the state’s first all-digital hospital totally focused on the care of hearts and the vascular system.

For the location nearest you call 888-777-3818. okheart.com