|
|
First Coast Cardiovascular Articles
We supply the following articles for your benefit, health and education. Please feel free to read them and ask us questions about them!
 First Coast Cardiovascular Institute introduces Vincent Caracciolo, M.D. to its full service cardiovascular practice. One of the simplest ways to ensure a long and healthy life is keeping tabs on one of your body's key indicators - your blood pressure. Hypertension, or high blood pressure (HBP), has been called the "silent killer" with good reason. Usually, a person with high blood pressure has no symptoms despite the ongoing damage that HBP causes... until disaster strikes. Edna Arnold is a former child daycare owner who once enjoyed running and playing with the 40 children placed in her care. Today, she's lucky to be walking at all. So she savors the ability to help care for and to simply play with her 5-year-old granddaughter, Chloe. Sleep Apnea causes breathing to get very shallow or even stop during your sleep cycle, disrupting your good night's sleep and causing havoc on your body's circulatory system. Research has linked the disorder to depression, high blood pressure, irregular heartbeats, coronary artery disease, increased risk of motor vehicle accidents, heart failure and even sudden death, among other medical conditions. Facing the possibility of losing a limb to inury or disease, Northeast Florida patients now have new hope. At First Coast Cardiovascular Institute (FCCI), leading physicians and state-of-the-art equipment have come together to save countless patients the tragedy of losing an arm or leg. Don't give yourself heart disease this holiday by over eating. Being overweight puts you at risk for developing hypertension, abnormal blood lipids, heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. It is fairly well known that the most common cause of death for men is coronary artery disease. However, for women, it is still thought by the majority of the population that breast cancer is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality (death) in women. “DearDr.Ashchi,” wrote the patient. “Thanks for taking the time to be there when I needed you. I know my medical problems are many, but you have helped me so much.” This letter exemplifies what Hippocrates once said “wherever the art of medicine is loved, there is also a love of humanity”. Far too many patients are still undergoing limb amputation unnecessarily, says Yazan Khatib, M.D., F.A.C.C., F.S.C.A.I., F.A.B.V.M board certified cardiovascular disease specialist at First Coast Cardiovascular Institute. "Endovascular limb salvage has a great many medical and medical-legal ramifications." Many people might be surprised to be referred to a heart doctor for a foot problem. But five cardiologists (Drs. Ashchi, Khatib, Ali, Grise, and Alsaghir) at First Coast Cardiovascular Institute are not only heart doctors but also board certified vascular specialists and one of the vascular problems they treat and specialize in is treating foot ulcers, and they are saving limbs in the process." A low risk procedure may be able to eliminate the need for open heart surgery in some patients. Patients are now being enrolled locally in clinical trials using a catheter-based procedure to close holes in the heart wall called patent foramen ovale (PFO). Patients are now being enrolled locally in clinical trials using a catheter-based procedure to close patent foramen ovale (PFOs). The low-risk procedure may be able to eliminate the need for open heart surgery in some patients. The young, progressive, caring and technically excellent environment of First Coast Cardiovascular Institute impressed Youssef Al-Saghir, M.D. from the very beginning. Dr. Al-Saghir, an interventional cardiologist, recently relocated from Utah to join FCCI. He began seeing patients in Jacksonville and Orange Park in August. The 55-year-old patient had diabetes and borderline high blood pressure but no family history of cardiovascular disease. She came to First Coast Cardiovascular Institute complaining of shortness of breath and a heaviness in her chest. It was a combination that cardiologist Mona Shah, M.D. knew needed a closer look. "The patient's symptoms were not typical, and that's often the case with diabetic patients," says Dr. Shah. "Her body weight was normal, and her chest pain was not consistent - it would sometimes occur on activity and sometimes at rest." Dr. Mona Shah went to medical school planning to become a pediatrician. But along the way she was exposed to the field of cardiology. "My first rotation was cardiology, and I had an excellent mentor," she says. "And while I love kids, I found that I loved the field of cardiology even more, because of the complexity of it and the interaction with patients." Dr. Sumant Lamba, the son of a doctor, watched his dad in action and decided to follow in his footsteps. "I watched my father do so much good, and saw the respect people had for him," says Dr. Lambda, who joined First Coast Cardiovascular Institute earlier this year. "That was my motivation for entering the medical profession." First Coast Cardiovascular Institute staff and timeline. New technologies include: Drug Eluding Stents, Fox Hollow Peripheral Plaque Excision, Excimer Laser and Carotid Stenting Carotid Artery Stenting: THE FUTURE HAS ARRIVED First Coast Cardiovascular Institute is the only group in Jacksonville selected to conduct a breakthrough carotid artery stenting study. Approximately 25 percent of strokes are caused by carotid artery disease. Clogged carotid arteries can cause ischemic stroke, the most common type. More than 700,000 Americans will have new or recurrent strokes each year, and 280,00 will die.- First Coast Cardiovascular Institute is the only group in Jacksonville selected to conduct a breakthrough carotid artery stenting study. Approximately 25 percent of strokes are caused by carotid artery disease. Clogged carotid arteries can cause ischemic stroke, the most common type. More than 700,000 Americans will have new or recurrent strokes each year, and 280,00 will die.
 A person age 40 or older has a one-in-five chance of developing congestive heart failure, according to a recent study published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. The study authors also reported that lifetime risk of developing heart failure doubles for people who have high blood pressure. PVD is caused when fatty plaque builds up in the arteries, causing them to harden. Blood flow is reduced or even blocked, and the weakened walls of the vessel may bulge. A blood clot may also form in these vessels. If the clot breaks free, it can travel through the body and cause severe damage. Vaqar Ali, M.D. enjoys being able to offer heart patients immediate results. The newest interventional cardiologist at First Coast Cardiovascular Institute also has a personal connection to the field – his own father died of an acute myocardial infarction. The opportunity to help other people survive such cardiovascular episodes brought Ali from his native Pakistan to train in New York and Kentucky before heading south to Jacksonville. Dr. Chris Klugewicz gets the question all the time: What is a cardiac electrophysiologist? “Even some doctors don't quite understand it,” says the newest member of the First Coast Cardiovascular Institute team. “I explain it this way: most cardiologists deal with the plumbing of the heart. I deal with the electrical system.” Do your legs hurt when you walk? Do you sometimes experience pain or numbness in your legs or feet? If you have cramps, aches or muscle fatigue in your lower body when you walk or exercise, you may be suffering from peripheral vascular disease, or PVD. “Dear Dr. Ashchi," wrote the patient, "Thanks for taking the time to be there when I needed you. I know my medical problems are many, and you have helped me so much." |
