Category Archives: Heart Disease

Mediterranean Diet

Posted on by MaryO
Fresh vegetarian pasta (2528005054)

Fresh vegetarian pasta (2528005054) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A randomized, multicenter trial conducted in Spain found that a Mediterranean diet resulted in a reduction in the incidence of major cardiovascular (CV) events and a 30 percent relative risk reduction in major CV events over a 4.8-year follow-up period.

The trial results were published on Feb. 25 in The New England Journal of Medicine. The PREDIMED (Preventión con Dieta Mediterránea) trial compared the consumption of a Mediterranean diet supplemented with either extra-virgin olive oil or nuts vs. a control diet among 7,447 individuals at high risk of CV disease (CVD) but with no CVD at enrollment. Individuals in the trial had either type 2 diabetes or at least three of seven major CV risk factors — smoking, hypertension, elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, were overweight or obese, or had a family history of premature coronary heart disease.

Results showed the group of participants assigned to a Mediterranean diet supplemented with olive oil had 96 primary endpoint events (a composite of myocardial infarction, stroke and death from cardiovascular causes), those assigned to a Mediterranean diet supplemented by mixed nuts (walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts) had 83 events and the control group had 109 events (p = 0.015). The Mediterranean diets resulted in an absolute risk reduction of three major CV events per 1,000 person-years.

A traditional Mediterranean diet consists of high amounts of olive oil, fruit, vegetables, nuts and cereals; moderate amounts of fish and poultry; and low amounts of dairy products, sweets, red meats and processed meats. Participants assigned to the Mediterranean diet groups significantly increased weekly servings of fish and legumes, as well as olive oil and nuts, depending on the group they were in.

According to the study authors, the results of the trial might explain, in part, CV mortality rates among Mediterranean countries compared with mortality rates in northern European countries and the U.S. They note that the dietary supplements of extra-virgin olive oil and nuts were possibly responsible for most of the observed benefits of the Mediterranean diets.

From CardioSource – Mediterranean Diet Major CV Events.  The original link also includes a video

Heart disease and exercise

Posted on by MaryO

From CNN:

Just because you have heart disease, doesn’t mean you can’t be an Ironman.

Coronary Bypass Surgery

Posted on by MaryO

From MedStar Union Memorial Hospital.  They say “Last year alone, our doctors performed more than 880 open-heart surgeries and 6,100 catheter-based procedures, including nearly 2,000 angioplasties. No hospital in Maryland or nationally performs a higher percentage (94 percent) of beating-heart bypass surgeries.”

Warning – graphic video!

Silent Heart Attacks: Symptoms You Might Not Recognize

Posted on by MaryO

Studies indicate around one out of every two women who suffer a heart attack feel no chest pain. They’re known as silent heart attacks. They’re often misdiagnosed or go untreated making them twice as deadly. Learn more in this video.

Heart Attack Symptoms in Women

Posted on by MaryO

A slideshow of symtoms a woman might have during a heart attack.

Tips For Visitors

Posted on by MaryO

Hospital

 

These are based on our personal experiences and may not apply to every situation.  If you have other tips, please add them to the comments section and I’ll edit this post.

Call before dropping by. The patient (or caretaker) may be napping and not up to entertaining visitors

Send an email before calling. The sound of the phone ringing can be disruptive.  I turned off all the ringers but one  in our house and that one is very low.

Leave a voicemail.  Then we can get back to you when it’s more convenient.

Don’t be general with things such as “call me if you need anything”. People like me will never call – unless that’s what you’re really hoping for.  Instead say something like “I’m bringing you dinner tomorrow night.  What are your dietary restrictions?”  Or “I will sit with the patient on Saturday for 10-2 so you can get out of the house for a while”.

Limit your visit to 20 minutes or so. Twenty minutes may not seem very long, but plan for your visit to end promptly at the twenty minute mark unless the patient invites you to stay longer. Being hospitalized is exhausting and staying awake to entertain visitors can be draining.

Do not tell the patient about other friends or relatives who had the same surgery/disease but didn’t survive.

When talking with the patient, don’t expect him or her to solve YOUR problems. Leave those outside and focus on the patient.

Be SURE the patient isn’t allergic to flowers before sending them.  By the same token, don’t wear perfume, cologne or shaving lotion.  The patient may be allergic to those scents.

Don’t wake up a sleeping patient.

If a nurse or doctor wishes to speak with the patient, leave the room to give them privacy.

Do not use this time to text or make phone calls.  Pay attention to the patient.

Heart Attack Warning Symptoms

Posted on by MaryO

Heart Attack Warning Symptoms speaks to the 7 main symptoms of a heart attack. It uses real women’s stories to personalize the heart attack experience, and encourages women who experience these symptoms to get checked out.

This video is presented by the NIH’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

Heart Disease Risk Factors

Posted on by MaryO

From the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

Heart Attack Risk Factors address the two types of risk factors associated with heart attacks, factors that a person can control and factors they cannot. Knowing the risk factors is so important because having just one risk factor doubles a person’s chance of developing heart disease.

This video is presented by the NIH’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

 

What Happens During a Heart Attack?

Posted on by MaryO

This video shows what happens to the body when someone has a heart attack.

Know Your Numbers and Life’s Simple 7 Hangout on Air

Posted on by MaryO

February 21 at , 1:30 PM

Do you know your numbers? Keeping track of vital stats like your blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride levels can save your life. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States with about 600,000 people dying from it every year—that’s one in four deaths.

Moderated by Steve Incontrera from dailyRx, this Google+ Hangout will feature a panel of experts from Baylor Health Care System and the American Heart Association to discuss common myths and misconceptions about heartdisease related to these three statistics.

If heart disease runs in your family, is there really anything you can do about it? Can medication alone reduce your cholesterol ? Are the symptoms for a heart attack the same in men and women?

SUBMIT YOUR QUESTIONS
Our panel of experts will address these and many more questions during the Hangout discussion. If you have any questions you would like answered, please submit them in the comments area of the original post, or tweet us at #heartchat.