Vim & Vigor - Spring 2014 - North Mississippi - (Page 6)

Grice was fortunate that her chest pain was not heart-related, but some people are equally as fortunate to ﬁnd out early that theirs is. Gail Grice "If the issue is heart-related, we may be able to prevent a heart attack. If, however, heart disease is ruled out, then the patient's doctor can get on to the business of ﬁnding out the reason behind the pain." Typically, patients spend less than six hours in the Chest Pain Center, which allows adequate time for observation without the expense of a hospital admission. After about four hours in the Chest Pain Center and a follow-up test, Grice was diagnosed with a muscle spasm instead of a heart issue. FLIP SIDE Grice was fortunate that her chest pain was not heartrelated, but some people are equally as fortunate to ﬁnd out early that theirs is. "We recently had a patient sent to our Chest Pain Center from another hospital's Emergency Department with an initial complaint of chest pain," Bertolet says. "Her initial EKG was normal, as were her lab results. And by the time she arrived here, her chest pain had subsided." The cardiologist felt the patient was at high risk for heart disease and did a cardiac catheterization, where he discovered one blood vessel completely blocked and another with 95 percent blockage. "This patient had a critical, life-threatening heart issue," Bertolet says. "If she had been sent home after initial tests, she would have died. Our goal is to prevent heart attacks by further evaluating issues that might otherwise be overlooked or put off until another day." "Our goal is to prevent heart attacks by further evaluating issues that might otherwise be overlooked or put off until another day." - BARRY BERTOLET, MD 6 SPRING 2 014 NMMC's Heart Institute Deciding where to go for quality heart care can be a real test. While many cardiac programs look the same, only a close examination will reveal the best. Consider: PHYSICIANS The North Mississippi Medical Center Heart Institute in Tupelo gives you access to nationally recognized physicians. SUPPORT NMMC Heart Institute patients benefit from a comprehensive team that includes top cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, cardiac nurses, technicians, therapists and others. Highly skilled physician specialists such as radiologists, pulmonologists and nephrologists provide additional support when needed. EXPERIENCE Experience leads to expertise. More patients and procedures add up to fewer complications and better outcomes. The NMMC Heart Institute is one of the most experienced programs in the region, performing more than 10,000 cardiology procedures and 1,000 heart and lung surgeries each year. TECHNOLOGY Since 1981, the NMMC Heart Institute has pioneered many diagnostic and treatment technologies. NMMC was the first in the state to provide advanced cardiac mapping capabilities and one of the first in the nation to offer cardiac resynchronization therapy for heart failure.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Spring 2014 - North Mississippi

Vim & Vigor - Spring 2014 - North Mississippi
Contents
Opening Thoughts
Cardiac Caretakers
Mending Hearts
Occupational Hazards
The New Rules of Play
Shopping for Two
Back to Basics
Burn, Baby, Burn
Angelina Jolie
Rock Your Health
Breaking Up with Salt
Disgusting! (or Not?)
Virtual Health
One Day at a Time
The Doctor Will See You Now
Catch the Spirit

Vim & Vigor - Spring 2014 - North Mississippi