BY TOM MOORE, RN, CDE,
CLINICAL EXERCISE SPECIALIST
AND COORDINATOR OF
CARDIOPULMONARY
REHABILITATION/PROTIME CLINIC
“It honestly felt like my heart was
going to jump out of my chest.”
“When it hits I get so short of
breath I have to sit down.”
“It started so suddenly and I
became so dizzy I thought I might
pass out.”
THESE ARE SOME
of the
descriptions I have heard patients
use when describing their episodes
of atrial fbrillation.
Even though the name Cox Maze
procedure sounds like a medieval
torture device, it has become a
valuable tool in the efort to control
this heart problem, which afects
2.5 million adults in the U.S. Atrial
WOMEN AND MEN EXPERIENCE
the symptoms of heart disease
diferently. Tat's why Aspirus
Women’s Health and the Aspirus
Heart & Vascular Institute have
developed a women’s heart program
at Aspirus Wausau Hospital.
Since women often experience
more subtle symptoms of heart
disease and heart attacks than men
do, it’s important to educate women
about what symptoms and risk
factors to look out for. Te women’s
heart program ofers a free, six-
part educational series called
Heart Shaped Health, which covers
all aspects of heart disease and
provides useful information about
diet and lifestyle changes women
can make to avoid developing heart
disease down the road.
Te Women’s Heart Program also
features a women’s cardiac clinic
that ofers appointments
focusing solely on the
unique nature of heart
disease in women.
During an appointment, patients
meet with Melissa Wendell, MSN,
FNP-C, to discuss symptoms, risk
factors, family history and how
lifestyle afects their health. Patients
also will meet with a cardiologist,
but for many, meeting with Wendell
frst puts them at ease.
“Women tend to be a little more
hesitant to talk about symptoms,
so some women may feel more
comfortable talking to another
woman, at least initially,” Wendell
says.
Women also will undergo
baseline testing during an
appointment to check cholesterol
levels and see how the heart is
functioning. Teir medical history
also will be thoroughly reviewed.
For information about Heart
Shaped Health, go online to
www
.aspirus.org/heartshapedhealth
or
call the Aspirus Information Center
at
800-847-4707
.
fbrillation is the most common
heart problem and accounts for
$26 billion annually in health care
costs.
John Johnkoski, MD, from
the Aspirus Heart and Vascular
Institute, has taken the maze
procedure to the level of surgical
art. He has been involved in the
development of the minimally
invasive maze surgery that allows
for small cuts instead of an
open chest incision. Tis greatly
decreases recovery time and has
demonstrated a high success rate.
I have observed both the
minimally invasive maze and the
open chest maze procedure at the
Aspirus Wausau Hospital Surgical
Center. Dr. Johnkoski gave a
tutorial on anatomy of the beating
heart and the step-by-step efort to
corral the elusive stray impulses of
atrial fbrillation. Te procedures
were displayed on large screens
surrounded by numerous pieces of
high-tech equipment. Information
from this equipment was conveyed
to Dr. Johnkoski by the surgical
staf with great efciency. Having
worked in health care for more than
28 years, I was impressed with the
team efort.
I greatly appreciate the
invitation to observe these newer
procedures, because seeing them
enhances my understanding of
patients in cardiopulmonary
rehabilitation and the Protime
Clinic. We work with these
patients in Protime, monitoring
before their procedure and during
cardiopulmonary rehab after their
surgery.
Seeing the procedure our
patients experience allows us to
better anticipate needs and guide
them through the recovery process.
New Treatment Options for Atrial Fibrillation
A Woman’s Heart Is Diferent
www.langladehospital.org • Pathways
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