76 TO YOUR HEALTH
NEW JERSEY COPS ■ MARCH 2014
Healthy Living Tips From
Ask Our Physician
Raffaele Corbisiero, MD, FACC, Director of the
Electromechanical Therapy Institute answers
your question:
Weight loss: Add one more
benefit to the list
According to a recent presentation at the American Heart Association’s annual meeting also published simultaneously in the
Journal of the American Medical Association, overweight or obese
people with atrial fibrillation (sometimes called AF or A-fib) can
decrease their symptoms if they lose weight. Atrial fibrillation is
a disorder of the electrical impulses that coordinate the beating of
the heart that causes the heart’s two upper chambers, the atria, to
contract in a fast and irregular way. Atrial fibrillation can increase
a person’s risk of stroke and contribute to other heart problems.
The study showed that participants in a weight-management
and exercise program, who lost 33 pounds, on average, experienced fewer and less severe symptoms of atrial fibrillation.
If you’re overweight and experience symptoms of atrial fibrillation, talk with your doctor to develop a weight management
plan. Start slowly, focusing on including more healthy foods like
fruits and vegetables in your diet and building up to 15 hours of
exercise a week.
My physician just told me I might need a
device like a pacemaker or defibrillator.
What is the difference? Should I be
worried?
~ Frank M., Manahawkin
RAFFAELE
CORBISIERO,
MD, FACC
Pacemakers are smaller than defibrillators (ICDs), and are
designed to keep a heart from beating out of rhythm, too slowly or too rapidly. ICDs are a bit larger and are used to prevent
cardiac arrest by providing an electrical shock if needed.
At Deborah, we work hard to bring cutting-edge technologies to those who need device therapy. Just recently, we were
the first Hospital in the region to implant Boston Scientific’s SICD System Defibrillator. This is the first commercially available, FDA-approved subcutaneous (below the skin)
defibrillator that does not have lead wires. This amazing new
defibrillator, used for treating patients for risk of sudden cardiac arrest, sits just below the skin without the need for an insulated lead wire placed into the heart itself.
With two main components to provide sensing and shock if
needed, patients will no longer need to have leads replaced.
The S-ICD eliminates the potential for vascular infection and
reduces complications associated with lead extraction or
implantation. It is an absolute benefit to come to a facility like
Deborah, where the most sophisticated device care is available.
My advice is: Please, don’t worry! Although all procedures
have risks, device implanting is well tolerated, and if you need
one, you’ll be surprised at how much better you feel afterwards!