For Elizabeth Vivenzio, getting a diagnostic MRI was always an apprehensive experience due to her claustrophobia. However, once she heard of the 3T MRI Sentient Suite offered at Valley, the experience was a welcomed relief.
On her 10th birthday, Delaney didn’t expect to end up at The Valley Hospital—or to have a stroke. But as her mom would later say, it was the best place for them to end up.
Shari Benedict fell down a flight of eight stairs after losing her balance. A bystander called for an ambulance, which took Shari to The Valley Hospital Emergency Department in Ridgewood, NJ where she was diagnosed with a brain meningioma, the size of a golf ball, a condition Shari was unaware of. Shari underwent a craniotomy and Gamma Knife radiosurgery to treat her condition. She is now beginning the next chapter in her life.
The Valley Hospital has become one of the few centers in the United States, and the only center in New Jersey, to offer an advanced surgical technique for aortic valve replacement called the Ross procedure.
In 2014, Kenley McElroy and her parents visited The Valley Hospital’s Center for Pediatric Spasticity to receive a second opinion on her spastic cerebral palsy. After undergoing a selective dorsal rhizotomy procedure and Achilles Tendon lengthening procedure, Kenley is starting a new chapter and enjoying her favorite activities.
A collaborative effort between The Valley Heart and Vascular Institute’s cardiology and structural heart teams, at The Valley Hospital, in Ridgewood, NJ, uncovers an underlying condition and mitigates James Freehill's symptoms.
When a patient's cough led to shortness of breath, he took the drive from his home in the Bronx, New York to visit The Valley Hospital’s Emergency Department. Imaging revealed that he was experiencing a heart attack, leading to cardiogenic shock where only 15 percent of his heart was functioning. Acting quickly, Rajiv Tayal, MD, Director of The Valley Hospital’s Structural Heart Program and Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, implanted stents to open Albert’s blocked arteries and restore adequate blood flow; and implanted the Impella® Ventricular Support System to treat Al’s cardiogenic shock.
Having a good night’s sleep is vital for a child’s well-being. But getting your child to sleep is not always the easiest task. With the stressors of the past almost two years, there has also been an increase in the incidence and severity of hyperactivity, insomnia, anxiety, and depression in children, especially adolescents. Prabhavathi Gummalla, MD, FAAP, pediatric pulmonology and sleep medicine specialist at The Valley Hospital’s Pediatric Sleep Disorders and Apnea Center, in Ridgewood, NJ, discusses how to get your child back to sleep.
For Joseph Komor, what started out as six months of neck pain, wound up in a lifesaving procedure to treat his coronary artery disease using advanced sonic wave technology.
The Valley Hospital, in Ridgewood, NJ, is among the first to use non-invasive, artificial intelligence imaging technology to prevent heart attacks by characterizing unstable plaque buildup with a high potential to rupture that can lead to a heart attack.
Valley-Mount Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Care — part of Ridgewood, NJ, based Valley Health System — is now using new technology to improve the precision of radiation therapy by accounting for the continual motion of a patient’s anatomy so treatment is delivered with greater accuracy and effectiveness.
Valley is the only hospital on the east coast and, only fourth in the nation, using the latest generation of capabilities available in the newest iteration of ExacTrac Dynamic from Brainlab.
Cardiac electrophysiologists at The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, NJ, are the first in the New York Tristate area (New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut) to test a new type of ablation technology that uses pulsed electric fields to treat patients with atrial fibrillation (AFib).
The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, NJ, has become the first center in the world to utilize leading-edge imaging software designed to enhance the safety and efficacy of a Watchman implant procedure.
A recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Interventions highlighted an association between procedural volume, in-hospital outcomes, and left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO). The research team concluded that higher hospital procedural volume – defined as facilities that perform more than 32 procedures per year — is directly correlated with better patient outcomes.
Ridgewood, NJ-based Valley Health System celebrated a construction milestone for the “new” Valley Hospital in Paramus, NJ, today with a “topping out” ceremony in which the final structural steel beam was put into place.
Screening with a low-dose CT scan can identify small nodules or other abnormalities in your lungs. Finding a problem at an early stage, before there are symptoms, may make it easier to treat.
The Valley Hospital participated in a landmark clinical trial that evaluated the ability of a novel, fully absorbable antibacterial envelope – the Medtronic TYRX™ Absorbable Antibacterial Envelope – to reduce infections associated with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs). The study found positive results and demonstrated that the envelope reduced the risk of major infection by 40 percent, and pocket infection by 61 percent, in patients at increased risk for infections receiving CIEDs, compared to standard-of-care pre-operative antibiotics.
Orthopedic surgeons at The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, NJ, are offering patients an innovative option for partial knee, total knee and hip replacements — Stryker’s Mako Robotic-Arm Assisted Surgical System. Among the benefits for patients: less pain and shorter recovery time.
The Valley Hospital is proud to announce that it has achieved the prestigious Magnet recognition — the highest national honor for professional nursing practice — for a fourth consecutive time.
When you look down at your plate at meal times do you see a variety of colors? If the answer is yes, then you are probably eating very nutritious food. If not, then you may be missing important nutrients during your day. More color usually indicates more nutrition.
Testicular cancer is the most common form of cancer in men ages 15 to 35. The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that there will be approximately 9,310 new cases of testicular cancer diagnosed in the United States in 2018.Testicular cancer grows in the tissues of one or both testes—glands that are located in the scrotum. Most cases of testicular cancer start out in the sperm-making cells known as germ cells. Testicular cancer can be classified into seminoma and nonseminoma. Although aggressive, both cancer types are curable even when metastatic.
Autism spectrum disorders are being diagnosed in ever increasing numbers. Nationally, there are about 1 in 68 children identified with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network. However, the ADDM estimates that the number is even higher in New Jersey, with 1 in 45 children being diagnosed with an ASD.
March marks the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ annual National Nutrition Month®, a nutrition education and information campaign focused on the importance of making informed food choices and promoting healthy eating and physical activity habits.
Having a colonoscopy to screen for colorectal cancer is not on anyone’s list of favorite activities. However, with colorectal cancer ranking as the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States, undergoing the outpatient procedure as per the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) guidelines may be one of the smartest things you can do for your overall health.
Would you know what to do if a man or woman at your son’s baseball game went into cardiac arrest? Would you recognize the signs if you were having a heart attack? A new survey by Valley’s cardiovascular affiliate Cleveland Clinic reveals that many Americans aren’t sure.
Advances in cancer treatment have resulted in a growing number of cancer survivors. However, powerful treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation treatments and some cancer drugs are not without their risks, including the potential for serious, long-term damage to the heart. To mitigate these risks, specialists from cardiology and oncology often collaborate when treating cancer patients. This joining of clinical forces is known as cardio-oncology.
If you struggle with nearsightedness, farsightedness, and/or astigmatism, you probably wear glasses or contact lenses to help you to see. This can be frustrating, especially if you misplace your glasses or lose a contact lens. You’ve probably heard of LASIK eye surgery and may be wondering if the procedure is right for you.
The Valley Hospital, an acute care, not-for-profit hospital in Ridgewood, New Jersey is enhancing pre-hospital emergency care with the use of Twiage, a mobile app that lets first responders instantly communicate with the emergency room. After an initial pilot phase, Valley has expanded the use of Twiage to 12 local EMS services in Bergen County, NJ, and Rockland County, NY.
A cancer diagnosis is frightening and often impacts patients on both a physical and an emotional level. It can actually lead to symptoms such as pain, nausea, anxiety and depression. These symptoms, as well as those that are caused by the cancer and/or the cancer treatment, can be eased through the incorporation of palliative medicine into the patient’s care plan.
Diabetes is a medical condition in which sugar or glucose levels build up in your bloodstream. Managing diabetes is a daily challenge to keep blood sugar levels in the desired range. Balancing the food you eat with exercise and medicine (if prescribed) will help you control your weight and keep your blood glucose in the healthy range.
Heart failure (HF) affects approximately 5.7 million adults in the United States according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If not properly managed, HF can lead to frequent hospitalizations. A heart failure hospitalization should be viewed as a sentinel event. Five year survival after a heart failure hospitalization is only 20 percent, a prognosis that is worse than most cancer diagnoses. Importantly, if HF is properly managed by team of skilled heart failure clinicians, prognosis and quality of life can improve.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women (except for skin cancers). One in eight women in the United States will develop invasive breast cancer during their lifetime with an estimated 252,710 new cases of invasive breast cancer in 2017. “With these sobering statistics, a very common question is ‘How can I decrease my breast cancer risk?’ There are many unavoidable risk factors for breast cancer including gender, age, family history, genetics, personal history of breast cancer, prior radiation to the chest, menstrual and pregnancy history, race/ethnicity, and certain breast changes. However, there are also several modifiable breast cancer risk factors that women can focus on to decrease their risk of breast cancer and to live a healthier life,” explains Eleonora Teplinsky, M.D., Director, Breast Medical Oncology, Valley-Mount Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Care.
October is a month that is known for pumpkin picking, hayrides and beautiful fall foliage. The month is also synonymous with breast cancer awareness and features walks, fundraisers and nationwide comradery to raise awareness, as well as funds, to beat the disease. This cause is as important as ever, with approximately 1 in 8 women in the United States developing invasive breast cancer during her lifetime.
You have probably heard that exercise is good for your health, but did you know that it can actually help to heal your body? Understanding the value of exercise is more important than ever since our nation is in the midst of an “inactivity epidemic.” This inactivity is the fourth leading cause of death nationwide and is responsible for 3.2 million deaths each year. The financial cost is also enormous—the medical repercussions of inactivity result in 102 billion dollars of US healthcare expenditures annually.
Ovarian cancer is the 9th most common cancer in women and although it only accounts for approximately 3 percent of cancers in women, it is responsible for the most deaths of any cancer involving the female reproductive tract. The American Cancer Society estimates 22,440 new ovarian cancers will be diagnosed and 14,080 deaths due to ovarian cancer will occur in the United States in 2017.
There is a new technology available that can help with both predicting prostate cancer aggressiveness and detecting prostate cancer. It’s called fusion guided biopsy and it greatly improves on the standard biopsy technique.
Did you know that more than 3 million Americans are affected by atrial fibrillation? Atrial fibrillation, which is also referred to as AF or AFib, is the most common irregular or abnormal heart rhythm disorder. It decreases the heart’s pumping ability and can make the heart work less efficiently. In addition, patients must be aware that AFib can lead to potentially life-threatening problems such as blood clots and a higher risk of stroke.
If you or a loved one is having difficulty conceiving, you may have researched in vitro fertilization options. A key member of an IVF patient’s clinical team is her embryologist.
Did you know that heart disease impacts men and women differently? Research has shown that gender differences exist not only in the way disease affects the heart, but also in the symptoms and the way it is diagnosed. And, in combating this No. 1 killer of women, we must educate women on their individual risk factors and the importance of early diagnosis.
“Take a deep breath and hold it.” With that simple instruction, The Department of Radiation Oncology at Valley-Mount Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Care is helping patients with breast cancer protect their heart health.
Weight loss, as well as maintaining a healthy weight, is a challenge that can sometimes seem insurmountable. If you are struggling with your weight, you are not alone! According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 70.7 percent of adults who are 20 years of age and older are considered to be overweight and/or obese. This is especially worrying because obesity can lead to a number of serious, and sometimes even fatal, health conditions.
It seems like we are hearing more and more about mindfulness-based meditation and the role it plays in stress reduction. But what exactly is mindfulness-based meditation and why is the practice getting so much attention?
A stroke is a "brain attack" and occurs when blood supply to the brain is cut off. According to Kenneth A. Levin, M.D., Medical Director, The Valley Hospital Stroke Center, “Most strokes are caused by a blood clot that has built up on the wall of a brain artery or one that has traveled there from another part of the body (an embolic stroke or ischemic stroke). Other strokes are caused by a ruptured blood vessel in or near the brain (aneurysm), which results in bleeding within or over the surface of the brain (hemorrhagic stroke).” Stroke is the fifth leading killer and the number-one cause of disability in the United States.
Most of us know what we need to do to stay healthy. Eat right. Exercise. Maintain a healthy weight. But studies show we're not taking care of ourselves the way we should. And this has led to an increase in people who live with diabetes. According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 29 million people -- over 9 percent of the U.S. population -- live with diabetes. That number includes more than 8 million people who have diabetes but don't know it because they haven't been diagnosed yet
Did you know that skin cancer is highly preventable? Because May is National Skin Cancer Awareness Month, we want to highlight the fact that our lifestyle choices contribute greatly to our chances of getting skin cancer. The most preventable risk factor for all skin cancers is sun exposure.
The Valley Heart and Vascular Institute has been selected as 1 of just 10 hospitals – and the only hospital in New Jersey – to participate in a nationwide study investigating a minimally invasive aortic valve replacement procedure for individuals with aortic stenosis.
Being apart from your newborn while he or she is cared for the in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) can be heart-wrenching. To make the separation a little bit easier, The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, NJ, has introduced an innovative system that allows parents and extended family members to conduct “virtual visits” with their little ones via webcam.
Global warming and climate change are in the headlines today. For allergy sufferers, the impact of warmer temperatures on their daily lives may soon become very apparent. If you think that your spring allergies have worsened, you may be right, and global warming may have contributed to this. With this year’s winter being warmer than usual (temperatures this year were the second highest in history for the month of February), the pollen season is most likely going to be early. In the Garden State, the tree pollen count will surely be one of the highest in the nation.
Autism spectrum disorders are being diagnosed in ever increasing numbers. Nationally, there are about 1 in 68 children identified with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network. However, the ADDM estimates that the number is even higher in New Jersey, with 1 in 45 children being diagnosed with an ASD.