GO RED FOR WOMEN: NYU Cardiac & Vascular Institute and American Heart Association Team Up to Hold Free Screenings
Newswise — NYU Langone Medical Center's National Wear Red Day event will be held Friday, February 6th, 2009 at the medical center's Alumni Hall located 550 First Avenue from 10am - 3pm. The free health and wellness program is sponsored by the NYU Cardiac & Vascular Institute and the American Heart Association. The event will include CPR demonstrations; blood pressure, body fat, BMI, and osteoporosis screenings or measurements; chair massages; and lectures and demonstrations on topics such as yoga, exercise, risk factors, healthy eating, and smoking cessation. This day focuses on helping women understand their personal risk of heart disease, including ways to help reduce it through healthy eating, exercise and physical fitness, stress reduction, and awareness of personal risk factors. Everyone can support the fight against heart disease in women by wearing red clothing on that day. It's a simple, powerful way to raise awareness of heart disease and stroke. - Dr. Nieca Goldberg, cardiologist, medical director, Women's Heart Program- Dr. Jennifer Mieres, cardiologist, director, Nuclear Cardiology
New Cardiovascular Genetics Program Launched to Fight Sudden Cardiac Death
Each year, 450,000 Americans die of SCD and approximately 30% of those deaths are caused by genetic defects of the heart. Hoping to treat those at risk for Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD), NYU Langone Medical Center has established the most comprehensive program in cardiovascular molecular genetics in the United States and the first of its kind in New York City. The NYU Cardiovascular Genetics Program will offer screening, counseling and treatment to patients who may be at risk for inherited conditions that cause disruptions in the heart's electrical system. Dr. Silvia G. Priori, M.D., Ph.D., who has established the world's largest cardiac genetics laboratory, database and clinic at the University of Pavia in Italy, is partnering with NYU. Larry A. Chinitz, MD, director of NYU's Heart Rhythm Program, operates on patients to insert the ICD, a small battery powered electrical impulse generator, much like a pacemaker, which can prevent the risk of sudden death due to ventricular fibrillation. - Dr. Silvia G. Priori, director, The NYU Cardiovascular Genetics Program- Dr. Larry A Chinitz, Cardiac Electrophysiology, NYU Cardiac& Vascular Institute
New Center for Healthful Behavior Change Working to Improve Medication Adherence for Hypertension Patients
Only 50 percent of patients with high blood pressure actually take their medication and many patients shy away from physician checkups and regular blood pressure monitoring. That's why a new Center for Healthful Behavior Change has been launched at NYU Langone Medical Center under the direction of Dr. Olugbenga Ogedegbe, Associate Professor of Medicine and a Hypertension Specialist. "Adhering to medication regimen and changing behaviors such as inactivity, ineffective weight management and poor dietary habits are necessary for successful heath outcomes," says Dr. Ogedegbe. "That's why we will investigate what techniques work best to help patients adhere to their therapy - whether it be technology-based approaches via simple text message sent by a doctor to a patient or an ad on the side of a city bus." The Center is currently investigating innovative ways that physicians can best control blood pressure in over 1000 hypertensive African-Americans who are treated in 30 community-based primary care practices in NYC. Many patients are given home blood pressure monitoring devices so that they can self-monitor, and they attend monthly group counseling on lifestyle changes plus computerized hypertension education. NYU plans to use Dr. Ogedegbe's work as a model for managing other chronic diseases through practical changes.- Dr. Olugbenga Ogedegbe, associate professor of medicine, hypertension specialist, director, Center for Healthful Behavior Change
External Defibrillator Vests May Help Save the Lives of High Risk Patients
The use of external defibrillator vests may be a possible preventive tool for high risk patients during the first 30 days following a heart attack, according to Dr. Judith S. Hochman, M.D., "Implanted defibrillators have not shown reduced risk of death if implanted within 30 days. However, NYU has been using external vests for selected high risk patients during the first month." Clinical trials are ongoing. The Life Vest is a non-invasive device that was FDA approved in 2002. At 1.8 pounds, it consists of an electrode belt that surrounds the person's chest and a monitor that the patient wears around the waist or from a shoulder strap. It's been used by over 9000 patients and has a 98 percent first shock success rate for treating patients with Sudden Cardiac Arrest. - Dr. Judith Hochman, cardiology, director, Cardiovascular Clinical Research Center
Real Time 3D Transesophageal Echocardiography Improves Diagnosis and Treatment of Structural Heart Disorders
Real time, three dimensional (RT3D) transesophageal echocardiography is an important technological breakthrough in cardiac imaging. With this technology, high resolution images of various cardiac structures and intracardiac blood flow can be obtained using a newly available thin - 1 cm probe inserted through the mouth and into the esophagus. The close proximity of the esophagus and the heart allows excellent images of intracardiac structures to be acquired. This permits better diagnosis, treatment, monitoring and understanding of various cardiac conditions. This matrix array technology had been used at NYU's echocardiography laboratory since March of 2008, with more than 400 patients studied so far. The technique was found especially useful during interventional procedures used to treat a myriad of structural heart diseases. Using the new technology, three dimensional visualization of intracardiac structures, heart defects, and catheters can be achieved. This may help in accurate placement of catheter delivered devices used to treat these abnormalities. It can also aid in safer manipulation of catheters within the heart, thus preventing complications. Finally, it may shorten procedure time, decrease radiation exposure and lower the use of iodinated contrast and therefore improve patient comfort and safety. - Dr. Itzhak Kronzon, Echocardiography Laboratory, cardiology
Trouble Walking and Pain in Your Legs- May be the First Sign of Heart Disease
Would you think that trouble walking or pain in the legs may be signs of heart disease? Experts from Vascular Associates at NYU Langone Medical Center recommend patients who are having leg pain due to Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) should be screened for heart disease. "The pain in your legs can be a major sign of poor circulation and leg artery blockages," says Dr. Mark Adelman, Chief of the Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery. "These blockages in the legs tend to mirror the blockages a patient may have in their heart." - Dr. Mark Adelman, Chief of the Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery
NYU at Forefront of Catheter Ablation for Congestive Heart Failure Patients
Recent studies have supported the efficacy of catheter ablation in patients with congestive heart failure. The results of these studies should significantly change the way common arrhythmias are treated. During cardiac ablation, a special machine delivers energy through a catheter to tiny areas of the heart muscle so that the abnormal heart rhythm is interrupted and returns to normal. With similar research occurring at NYU School of Medicine, the medical center is at the forefront of catheter based treatment for common cardiac arrhythmias. - Dr. Larry A Chinitz, Cardiac Electrophysiology, NYU Cardiac & Vascular Institute
Improve Your Heart Health with the Help of a Smoking Cessation Program
Smoking is the number one preventable cause of death in the United States, claiming over 400,000 lives each year. The Joan and Joel Smilow Cardiac Rehabilitation and Prevention Center at NYU Langone Medical Center offers six week individual and group smoking cessation programs. The programs includes initial evaluations to assess each individual's motivation, smoking behavior and "quit history" and meetings to help participants understand the effects of nicotine addiction, as well as the assessing the situations, emotions and cognitive processes that trigger cigarette smoking. Subsequent sessions focus on learning cognitive and behavioral skills necessary to stop smoking while establishing alternative behaviors to remain abstinent. The interventions include nicotine replacement and/or medication if applicable. - Ana Mola, program director, Smoking Cessation Program, Betty Jean Rosenhagen, co-program coordinator & Diane Rosenstein, co-program coordinator, The Joan and Joel Smilow Cardiac Rehabilitation and Prevention Center
About NYU Langone Medical CenterLocated in the heart of New York City, NYU Langone Medical Center is a premier center for health care, biomedical research, and medical education. For over 167 years, NYU physicians and researchers have contributed to the practice and science of medicine. Today the Medical Center consists of NYU School of Medicine; Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, the first and largest facility of its kind; NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases, a leader in musculoskeletal care; and such nationally recognized programs as the NYU Cancer Institute, the NYU Child Study Center, and the NYU Cardiac and Vascular Institute.
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