Question: I had a heart attack three years ago. Last fall I had a complete cardio check up and everything is great. Before my HA I was extremely active and I still am. I would very much like to have a tummy tuck and was wondering what specific risks would be involved for me. I take Lipitor and Asprin daily. …
How many stents are too many
Question: Someone told me that they had 22 stents. Is this possible or should they have had another procedure? Answer: Patients like this do much better with a Coronary Bypass Procedure, live longer and spend a lot less money! I wish I could tell you it isn’t true, but from personal experience I can tell you I ultimately performed a …
Results of the first one thousand evaluations of our Cardiac Surgery Risk Assessment Calculator
1012 Questionnaires using our Cardiac Surgery Risk Assessment Calculator have now been answered. I thought it would be interesting to analyze some of the results and show what they look like. Information like this becomes interesting, once many records from the same source are entered. In my own practice, I created a database in 1985 that I used till retirement …
Good Food for Spring
It is hard to believe March is here and that spring is just around the corner! As much as I enjoy the winter, I am ready for warm air, flowers and green grass! I am also gearing up for my annual spring-cleaning and so I was thinking that I would offer you some ideas on how to “spring clean” your …
Should I use a statin?
Q: My Dr. has recommended taking a low dose SIMVASTATIN. I DON’T WISH TO DO THAT. MY OVERALL CHOLESTERoL IS 254. I KNOW THIS IS HIGH BUT MY HDL IS 108 TRIGYLCERIDES 79 AND LDL IS 130. RATIO IS 2.4 AM I BEING FOOLISH NOT TO TAKE IT. I EXERCISE DAILY. I WEIGH 130.
Aortic Valve Stenosis and working out
Q: I am 17 years old, and I have aortic valve stenosis. I have recently been doing weightlifting, and going to the gym 3 or 4 times a week. Saw my cardiologist on wednesday for my annual check up, mentioned that I was weightlifting and she said it was a bad idea for me to continue because I could do …
POTS and PVCs
Q: Hi, occasionally I get a skipped beat followed by head and neck pressure and a flushed face, sometimes the pressure lasts all day or a couple hours after, I also have pots and blood pooling when i stand up. my question is this. when a pvc happens its my understanding that the bp drops, because my blood pools while …
Heart Transplant with RBBB and PVCs
Q: I have heart transplant with pacemaker having RBBB and recently I had some frequent PVCs otherwise 5-10 per day. Blood work, ECG and echo found normal. Once I saw low frequency 86 bps inversion of waves (9 of them) on continuous recording. Are these symptoms to worry about?
Abnormal Heart Beats in an Athlete
Q: I am a runner and workout on a regular basis. I have a resting heart rate of 44 and that’s been normal to me. However recently I have noticed that when I am at complete rest sitting up or laying in bed, I have a delay heart beat once in awhile and it scares me because I’m wondering when …
Could I have POTS?
Q: Hi, I believe I may have pots or orthostatic intolerence and I was hoping you could tell me if I fit the requirements. While im laying down my heart rate is 66-70 but when I stand up it shoots up to 100. Blood starts pooling in my legs and hands and my feet will turn purple within 5 min …