Healthy Living Tips from
The New Jersey Police Chief Magazine | July / August 2021
HEALTH TIP : Is it Old Age or Something Else ?
Sometimes people dismiss aches and pains and a range of other symptoms chalking them up to getting older . Among these could be some chest pain , a fluttering heartbeat , some shortness of breath , feeling light-headed , difficulty walking short distances , swollen ankles or feet , a hard time sleeping , or just a slowing down of activity levels . Since these symptoms could come and go , and not all appear at the same time , older people often tend to overlook them .
These could , however , be the sign of a common and serious heart valve disease problem which affects about five percent of Americans age 65 or older – aortic valve stenosis . Left untreated , it can lead to heart failure , strokes , blood clots and increased risk of sudden death .
“ Aortic stenosis occurs when the aortic valve narrows and it doesn ’ t fully open . This reduces or blocks the blood flow from your heart into the main artery of your body ,” said Richard Kovach , MD , Chair , Interventional Cardiology at Deborah Heart and Lung Center . “ There are many patients that are undiagnosed with this condition since it may be challenging at times for some primary care physicians to make the diagnosis . In fact many people with aortic stenosis may not experience noticeable symptoms until very advanced stages of the disease .”
Being Proactive
Because the disease is so prevalent among older people and is often overlooked , Deborah partnered with other hospitals across the country to work with the American Heart Association ( AHA ) in piloting new programs for identification , diagnosis , and referral for treatment of these patients .
“ Deborah established a new protocol by creating a specially-designed electronic questionnaire that assists in identifying aortic stenosis patients in our completed echo report database ,” said Dr . Kovach . “ By pulling all the pieces together at our fingertips we have a new powerful tool to help with early identification of these patients .”
Dr . Kovach added : “ In addition to providing the medical care needed , we can also begin a patient engagement campaign to help them become a partner in their own care , help them find community resources available in patient organizations , and share our successes with other hospitals to maximize the impact of an integrated initiative like this .”
Building a National Model
“ It ’ s very exciting that we had an opportunity to partner on a national level with other hospitals and the American Heart Association . The hard work by our process improvement team in developing this program resulted in the AHA giving Deborah a ‘ Best Practice Standards ’ recognition , which means that our approach will be shared across the country to help replicate this approach .”
Early Diagnosis Means Better Outcomes
“ The earlier you find out that you have aortic valve stenosis the sooner treatment can begin . In early stages you may only need careful monitoring by a cardiologist . If , however , the valve has to be replaced , there are several options including transcatheter aortic valve replacement ( TAVR ) which is a minimally-invasive approach to valve replacement with much less risk and recovery time than open surgery . It is typically well tolerated regardless of age , and offers excellent long-term outcomes .”
“ If you , or anyone you know , who is older has symptoms , recommend to them that they see a cardiologist for a check-up . Don ’ t just assume its old age .”
For more information , visit www . DemandDeborah . org or call 855-646-3484 .
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