Leadership in Cardiovascular Care
Healthcare ; and assistant professor of surgery , Texas A & M Health Science Center College of Medicine . “ The sooner someone becomes aware of a risk for heart attack or stroke , the better chance they have for successful intervention and outcome .”
Mr . Ferguson ’ s results indicated that he needed to accept Scott & White ’ s offer of a free in-person follow-up screening as part of the HeartAware program . With further testing , he learned that he had a blocked artery , called aortic stenosis , and a damaged aortic valve .
" If Mr . Ferguson had waited he could have died from this ,” says Dr . Reiter . “ He had a valve replacement and bypass and his heart is now in good shape . Without it , his heart probably would have fibrillated or stopped and he would have died ."
Mr . Ferguson considers himself one of the lucky ones because he took the HeartAware assessment and learned his risk for a heart attack . After taking the online assessment , Mr . Ferguson possibly preempted a heart attack by deciding to have lifesaving surgery right away .
A Proactive Decision to Avoid a Heart Attack
In July , Mr . Ferguson had his surgery . “ If I had waited , I may have had a heart attack ,” says Mr . Ferguson , who often takes long RV trips with his wife . “ I wanted to handle it on my own terms . I picked the time , place and doctor and I ’ m extremely happy with the way everything went ."
Less than two months after his surgery , Mr . Ferguson and his wife were grateful to be off on another RV adventure and he was looking forward to playing golf again .
Don ’ t Wait for Symptoms Although Mr . Ferguson had some symptoms , they could be easy to overlook .
“ Cardiac artery disease is called a silent killer because half the time the first symptom is myocardial infarction [ heart attack ] or death ,” says Dr . Reiter . “ The other half the time there is angina ( chest pain ), which can be treated with medicine , catheterization or surgery . Unfortunately , there is no way to predict which half any individual may be in .”
Dr . Reiter encourages everyone to take the HeartAware risk assessment if they are : age 40 or older with a family history of heart disease ; or age 55 and older .
For those who think they are too young to develop heart disease or too busy to take the risk assessment , Dr . Reiter has some words of warning : “ We are seeing cardiac artery disease in younger people , so no one should have a false sense of security because of their age ,” he says . “ Everyone is busy these days , so it may be hard to find time for the assessment . But think about it — those five minutes could add years to your life .” ■
The HeartAware program empowers patients to care for their health and the health of their families . Scott & White ’ s comprehensive commitment to excellence in cardiovascular care has earned it many distinctions , including :
> The Heart and Vascular Institute at Scott & White has been ranked a Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals ® for Cardiovascular Care for nine consecutive years
> Scott & White is one of three Texas hospitals recognized for its high standards of care related to coronary heart disease and stroke with the Gold Performance Achievement awards in two categories of the American Heart Association ' s Get With The Guidelines program
2008 Thompson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals ®
To take the online assessment , go to www . sw . org ( look for the HeartAware logo ) or call 254-724-0537 to receive a paper copy in the mail .
Winter 09 THE CATALYST 23