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Cardiology

Health Beat: Local cardiologists raise awareness about heart disease prevention – Iredell Free News

Special to Iredell Free News

Did you know that heart disease has been the leading cause of death in the country for 100 years?

A recent American Heart Association study reveals that more than half of Americans did not know that heart disease was the No. 1 killer in the United States despite its century-long reign.

February is American Heart Month an opportunity to highlight the importance of cardiovascular health and raise awareness about heart disease prevention.

To help educate the community about heart disease, three cardiologists, Dr. Bradley Martin, Dr. John J. Allan, and Dr. Charles DeBerardinis, shed some light on heart disease prevention, when to call 911, and local heart care.

You have the power to take action to protect yourself against heart disease. While some risk factors for heart disease cannot be controlled, like family history, other risks are controllable.

Small, heart-healthy lifestyle changes like eating a healthy diet or adding more movement to your day can have a big impact on protecting your heart.

1. Eat a heart-healthy diet.

One of the most important things you can control is what youre putting into your body. Diet is very important. A lot of patients ask me, What is the perfect diet or the right diet to follow? said Martin.

Martin often recommends a Mediterranean-style diet that is low in saturated fats, high in protein, low in carbohydrates, and limits added sugars. The American Heart Association also recommends a Mediterranean-style diet as it: Emphasizes vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans and legumes; Includes low-fat or fat-free dairy products, fish, poultry, non-tropical vegetable oils, and nuts; and Limits added sugars, sugary beverages, sodium, highly processed foods, refined carbohydrates, saturated fats, and fatty or processed meats.

Sixty percent of our caloric intake per day should be from protein. I often try to have patients stick to a 1,800 to 2,000 calories-per-day diet. However, that does vary depending on your body size and physical activity, said Martin.

2. Avoid putting toxins in your body.

You should avoid putting toxins in your body. Nicotine and tobacco products are the number one offender. If you havent already, set a goal in 2024 to stop using tobacco products, as that will always be the number one thing you can do for your health to reduce your risk of having heart attack and stroke, said Martin.

Martin also recommends limiting the consumption of highly caffeinated drinks as they may increase your likelihood of cardiac arrythmia.

I try to avoid any of the energy drinks that have anything more than just caffeine, things like taurine or guarana, said Martin.

If you must have caffeine, Martin suggests only drinking two low-level caffeinated beverages a day, like a cup of coffee or a diet soda.

3. Take care of your physical health.

Exercise, as Im sure youre aware, is very important. Running, walking, swimming, biking, punching a heavy bag whatever it is that gets your heart rate up and breathing heavy, 30 minutes, five days a week is going to lower your chances of having a cardiovascular event, said Martin.

4. Manage your stress.

Mental health can positively or negatively impact your heart health. Stress can contribute to poor health behaviors like smoking or drinking, which are linked to increased risk for heart disease.

Chronic, long-term stress can lead to high blood pressure, which can increase your risk for heart attack and stroke.

We all deal with stress. Its hard on our system. Stress increases something called catecholamines in your bloodstream, which can increase your blood pressure. Learning some relaxation techniques and just taking five minutes a day to do deep breathing exercises can help regulate your stress levels, said Martin.

Exercise and getting enough sleep can also help you manage your stress levels.

5. Work with your healthcare team.

Make sure youre following up with your primary care doctor or us here at Statesville Cardiovascular to help manage your risk factors such as high blood pressure, blood sugar, and high cholesterol levels. These factors can be tested easily through blood work or with simple testing measurements here in the office to ensure that were keeping your risk factors controlled, said Martin.

Heart attacks can be sudden and intense. But they can also develop and start out as mild pain or discomfort. Not everyone has typical heart attack symptoms. So its important to learn all the ways a heart attack might make you feeland to call 911 right away if you suspect a heart attack. Fast action could save your life or someone elses.

According to Allan, some of the common symptoms of heart attack include: Chest pain or discomfort; Back, neck, or jaw pain; Left arm or shoulder pain; Shortness of breath; Nausea or vomiting; and Sweatiness

Deciding when to call 911 can sometimes be difficult for people. Its not always clear to patients when you should do that. However, anytime you have a symptom that youre not sure what it is, chest pain youve not experienced before, or any of the other warning signs of a heart attack, its best to err on the side of caution and call 911, said Allan. If you are having a heart attack, time is of the essence. We dont want to have any damage or injury to the heart. Once thats done, its irreversible, so the quicker you get in and get treatment, the better.

Iredell Health System offers the community a wide range of heart and vascular services and has been a Certified Chest Pain Center for 13 years. Iredell Memorial Hospital was recognized as high performing in the heart failure specialty by U.S. News & World Report as part of its 2023- 2024 Best Hospitals ranking.

Iredell Health Systems team of cardiologists, vascular surgeons, and expert nursing staff are committed to providing personalized care and treating the whole person, not just the condition because heart disease affects your whole life.

Our board-certified cardiologists have a wide variety of special interests and expertise in all the subspecialties of cardiology, and we offer expansive cardiac care here. We also have several nurse practitioners and physicians assistants who are well-versed in cardiology that help us in the hospital and in our offices, said DeBerardinis.

Cardiologists and vascular surgeons at Iredell Memorial Hospitals Heart & Vascular Center can perform a variety of procedures including cardiac catheterization, pacemaker and defibrillator implantations, cardiac interventions, peripheral arterial interventions, and venous procedures. They also offer nuclear stress tests and EKG and echo stress testing.

Ive always thought being at a non-tertiary center offers us the opportunity to provide more personalized care, and I can assure everyone out there that we certainly take that privilege very seriously here, said DeBerardinis.

LEARN MORE

Dr. Martin and Dr. DeBerardinis both practice at Statesville Cardiovascular Clinic, located at 925 Thomas Street. In addition to Statesville, Martin also sees patients in Taylorsville and Mooresville. If you would like to schedule an appointment with Dr. Martin or Dr. DeBerardinis, call the office at 704-873-1189.

Dr. Allan practices at Iredell Cardiology. He sees patients in Statesville and Mooresville. If you would like to schedule an appointment with Dr. Allan, call the office at 704-878-4694.

Iredell Health System includes Iredell Memorial Hospital; Iredell Mooresville; two urgent care centers;Iredell Home Health; Iredell Wound Care & Hyperbaric Center; Community and Corporate Wellness;Occupational Medicine; the Iredell Physician Network and more. Iredell Memorial Hospital is the largestand only nonprofit hospital in Iredell County. The comprehensive healthcare facility has 247 beds; morethan 1,800 employees; and has 260 physicians representing various specialties. Centers of excellenceinclude Womens and Childrens; Cardiovascular; Cancer; Surgical Services and Wellness & Prevention.The Health Systems second campus, Iredell Mooresville, is home to the areas only 24-hour urgent carefacility, as well as an ambulatory surgery center, imaging center, rehabilitation services, and physicianpractices. The mission of Iredell Health System is to inspire wellbeing. For a comprehensive list ofservices and programs, visit http://www.iredellhealth.org.

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Health Beat: Local cardiologists raise awareness about heart disease prevention - Iredell Free News

Cardiology

Miami Valves 2024 Showcases Innovations in Structural Heart and Cardiovascular Care – InventUM – University of Miami

By: Richard Westlund | February 28, 2024 | 10 min. read| Share Article Summary

Renowned leaders in cardiovascular research and clinical care shared their knowledge and experiences at Miami Valves 2024, the 10th annual international structural cardiology conference hosted by the International Medicine Institute of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

Interventional and structural cardiologists are doing miraculous things to treat a variety of diseases, said Miami Valves Director Eduardo de Marchena, M.D., professor of cardiovascular medicine and associate dean for international medicine at the Miller School. Its exciting to get leaders in their fields who share and discuss their research on what can be done to treat complex cases, while always thinking about what comes next.

More than 380 professionals from the U.S., Canada, Latin America and Europe attended Miami Valves 2024. The conference was endorsed by the Latin American Society of Interventional Cardiology (SOLACI) and supported by a dozen exhibitors and several unrestricted educational grants, including one from UHealthUniversity of Miami Health System.

This is an amazing conference, said Yiannis S. Chatzizisis, M.D., Ph.D., professor and chief of cardiovascular medicine at the Miller School. This is a unique opportunity for professionals to see the latest and most-innovative therapies and devices in structural heart and coronary artery disease to help us achieve better outcomes for our patients. Its also a great teaching opportunity, as our fellows learn how to tackle challenging cases while expanding their networks.

The conference featured:

As a cardiac surgeon, I want to understand the advances in interventional and imaging cardiology, said Joseph Lamelas, M.D., professor and chief of cardiothoracic surgery at the Miller School. Our patients benefit from a collaborative approach that incorporates advances in our fields.

John Lasala, M.D., Ph.D., a renowned interventional cardiology and structural heart disease specialist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, was honored with the 2024 Miami Valves Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his research, clinical and teaching accomplishments.He gave a presentation on his 34-year career, From Utility Baseball Player to Structural Interventionalist: A Lifes Journey, adding that he still enjoys sports and is a consultant to the St. Louis Cardinals and St. Louis Rams.

Miami Valves is a great way to catch up on whats happening with valvular disease, he added. Its large enough to get the latest information yet small enough that you can talk individually with other professionals.

Dr. de Marchena kicked off Miami Valves 2024 with a recap of recent advancements in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) as well as other interventional procedures.

We have seen an explosion in TAVR, which now accounts for 62% of all aortic valve replacement procedures and is being performed in over 800 U.S. centers, he said. Cerebral protection devices may reduce the risk of stroke, and we use them in about 60% of cases here, far more than the national average.

Other advances include the incorporation of tissue technology to block calcium buildups as well as new aortic and mitral valves.

Tricuspid was once the forgotten valve but now is being approached with many transcatheter technologies, and important trials are underway, said Dr. de Marchena.On February 2, during our meeting, the first transcatheter valve for the tricuspid valve was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.We are hoping for many more approvals in the coming years.

Eberhard Grube, M.D., from University Hospital Bonn, Germany, said there will be accelerated innovation of TAVR platforms and accessory devices, including aortic valve remodeling technology. He added that clinicians may need to treat moderate aortic stenosis before damage occurs to other areas of the heart.

For lifetime management of aortic disease, the patient needs to be part of the discussion, Dr. Grube said. Our goal is to achieve the promise of one valve replacement for life.

Additional highlights from the conference included:

Renu Virmani, M.D., president of the CVPath Institute,gave a presentation on mitral annular calcification, noting that the incidence was greater in women than men.

MAC goes hand-in-hand with renal disease, and it is not an easy condition to treat surgically, she said.

Following her talk, Dr. Lamelas spoke on surgical approaches to MAC, which has been identified in two, 3,000-year-old Egyptian mummies. He outlined options for repairing or replacing the mitral valve in the presence of significant invasion of calcium.

Imaging is very important to determine the extent of calcium involvement, he said. Current recommendations call for these patients to be treated by surgeons who perform more than 50 mitral valve cases a year. We are proud that our university is one of the 22 mitral valve repair reference centers in the United States.

Carlos E. Alfonso, M.D., associate professor of cardiovascular medicine and medical director of the Miller Schools Advanced PCI and CTO Program, moderated the PCI symposium and discussed highly specialized techniques to treat complex coronary CTO (chronic total occlusion).

We had a great session with experts discussing complex PCI and CTO procedures, Dr. Alfonso said. During the complete PCI symposium, we covered the spectrum of coronary disease, discussing a variety of topics including strategies and emerging technology for treatment of acute myocardial infarction and cardiogenic shock, as well as non-occlusive coronary disease.

In his presentation and workshop on optimizing coronary bifurcation disease interventions, Dr. Chatzizisis said optimal outcomes involve careful imaging of the patients anatomy, stent design and stent techniques.

Computer simulations and artificial intelligence have the potential to help us plan our procedures, improve outcomes and lower overall health care costs, he said. They can also help our trainees master their interventional skills.

Michael Dyal, M.D., Miller School assistant professor of medicine, discussed how intravascular ultrasound imaging can help guide PCI interventions, and Nikolas Spilias, M.D., Miller School assistant professor of interventional cardiology,spoke about when and why complete coronary revascularization should be performed.

In a separate session, Drs. Chatzizisis and Spilias were joined by Maria Delgado-Lelievre,M.D., founder and director of the Comprehensive Hypertension Center, in a discussion of new renal denervation interventions that decrease hypertension by ablating the arterial nerves near the kidneys.

This is a safe procedure with an always on effect on lowering blood pressure, said Dr. Spilias.

Assistive devices are helping patients with heart failure when medical therapy isnt enough, according to Luanda Grazette, M.D.,associate professor of clinical medicine at the Miller School and director of the UHealth Advanced Heart Failure Program. She moderated a Thursday workshop on heart failure.

We have come a long way with medications in three decades, adding years of life to older patients with heart failure, she said. Even though drugs do a great job in improving survival, they can hit a ceiling, where assistive devices are needed.

On Friday, Jeffrey Goldberger, M.D., professor of medicine, moderated a workshop on cardiac electrophysiology with Raul D. Mitrani, M.D., professor of clinical medicine and director of clinical cardiac electrophysiology; Litsa Lambrakos, M.D., assistant professor of medicine and Alex Velasquez, M.D., assistant professor of medicine, all from the Miller School.

Dr. Mitrani said the workshop highlighted important advancements in the field of cardiac electrophysiology.

Participants learned about new extravascular defibrillators and the advantages of physiologic pacing, he said. The importance of risk-factor modification, including research from UHealth, was emphasized.

In keeping with the theme of the conference, the EP symposium focused on the novel approaches to atrial fibrillation ablation and pacemaker/defibrillator device implantation, added Dr. Goldberger.

He presented leading-edge Miller School research showing how stagnant catheter ablation therapy for atrial fibrillation can be dramatically impacted by the new paradigm of adjunctive medical therapy with GLP-1 agonists, a popular novel drug therapy approved for diabetes and weight loss.

Stephanie Moss, D.N.P., A.P.R.N., UHealth executive director, clinical operations, and Shay Lamelas, A.P.R.N., UHealth nurse practitioner, moderated the Nursing Symposium on Saturday.

When treating heart diseases, post-operative care is essential for good outcomes, said Lamelas. Our nursing team supports surgical and interventional treatments, so patients can continue to survive and thrive.

Moss, who spoke on technological advances in heart failure, said panelists and attendees were highly engaged during the workshop.

There was also a strong effort into fostering inclusivity and diversity at the conference, and the opportunity to network was invaluable, she added.

On the last day of the conference, Dr. de Marchena led a morning symposium on new investigational devices for the treatment of valvular and coronary disease.The three-hour session featured16presentations on devices being studied from all over the world, including two developed by Miller School cardiology faculty.

Finally, a panel heard oral presentations and recognized the conferences abstracts.The 25 best abstracts will be published in the journal,US Cardiology Review.

Tags: cardiology, cardiovascular, Cardiovascular Division, Dr. Alex Velasquez, Dr. Carlos Alfonso, Dr. Eduardo de Marchena, Dr. Jeffrey Goldberger, Dr. Joseph Lamelas, Dr. Litsa Lambrakos, Dr. Luanda Grazette, Dr. Maria Delgado-Lelievre, Dr. Michael Dyal, Dr. Raul Mitrani, Dr. Yiannis Chatzizisis, Miami Valves 2024

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Miami Valves 2024 Showcases Innovations in Structural Heart and Cardiovascular Care - InventUM - University of Miami

Cardiology

Cardiology Specialists Keep a Pulse on Adults Born with Heart Defects – Checkup Newsroom

By Jean Yaeger

Courtney Peets was born with a rare and complex heart condition that was treated by pediatric cardiologists from her infancy through her teen years.

When Courtney moved to college, the new cardiologists she saw werent familiar with her type of defect. Those cardiologists didnt have experience with young adults like Courtney, who was born with reversed heart chambers and arteries.

I ended up in the emergency room a couple times, but its so confusing in an adult world, she said. When you hook me up for an EKG (electrocardiogram), it looks like youve put the leads on incorrectly.

Courtney was too old for pediatric cardiology at that point. But she didnt quite fit in with adult cardiology care either. She didnt know where to find a specialist for treating adults who have heart problems since birth, called congenital heart disease.

Thats when she joined a support group that introduced her to something she didnt know existed: cardiology geared for adults born with heart defects. Referrals eventually led Courtney to the Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ACHD) program at Cook Childrens.

Now at age 40, Courtney makes an annual visit to see Scott Pilgrim, M.D., the programs medical director. Dr. Pilgrim and his ACHD team at the Dodson Specialty Clinics in Fort Worth are able to monitor and help manage her ongoing heart issues. Shes proud to be a patient at Cook Childrens. In fact, every appointment is like a homecoming, because:

Dr. Pilgrim has helped Courtney manage her blood pressure and other concerns so that she can keep up an active lifestyle of exercise, raising her two sons, and working as Chief Health Service Officer for Burleson Independent School District. She knows she might need heart surgery again someday. The ACHD program gives her confidence shes in good hands.

This month, we at Cook Childrens are celebrating the 10-year anniversary of our ACHD program. It was started in February 2014 because leaders at Cook Childrens saw a need. The ACHD services provide comprehensive care and support for hundreds of patients in their 20s, 30s and beyond. Heres the background.

About 1% of all newborns have congenital heart disease, ranging from mild to severe. It used to be considered a pediatric condition because many children with severe defects didnt survive to adulthood. Thanks to advances in diagnosis and surgery, more children born with heart problems are living longer. An estimated 1.4 million U.S. adults have a congenital heart disease. Their underlying congenital problems can lead to unique health challenges.

This field of adult congenital heart disease has grown primarily because of the success stories weve had in pediatric cardiology, Dr. Pilgrim said. The incidence of congenital heart disease hasnt really changed. Bur the lifespan of individuals growing up with congenital heart disease has tremendously improved.

The ACHD program looks much like what patients often see in pediatric cardiology, such as EKGs and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI), Dr. Pilgrim said. The program offers nutrition, social services, physical therapy, occupational therapy, noncardiac surgery, dental care and more.

Dr. Pilgrim also does pre-pregnancy consultations at the patients request. He and the patient discuss the risks for mother and baby. He assesses the structure, function and rhythm of the patients heart in those consultations.

Sometimes we do an exercise stress test to see whether or not they have the aerobic capacity to handle the nine-month marathon of pregnancy, he said.

For patients who are already pregnant, the ACHD team works with colleagues in obstetrics and fetal medicine to create a plan based on the patients specific heart lesion. That plan includes delivery scenarios and the best options for anesthesia.

The future is bright for this growing subspecialty of cardiology, Dr. Pilgrim said. He pointed out that the adult congenital model at Cook Childrens stems from the Promise to improve the wellbeing of every child in our care and community.

We havent neglected the fact that by virtue of us doing surgery as a child, now we have a growing population of adults with congenital heart disease who still need specialized care, he said.

Courtney was born in Fort Worth in 1983 with abdominal organs that were reversed, as well as reversed chambers and main arteries in her heart. Her smaller right ventricle pumps blood throughout her body, while her left ventricle pumps blood to her lungs the opposite of a normal heart. The right ventricle muscle became progressively thicker, causing obstructed blood flow and low oxygen saturation when Courtney was a girl.

My lips were always blue, she recalled. My parents let me do as much as I could. I played basketball, but I could probably play about a minute before I got tired.

Courtney went in for regular checkups with Dr. Allender, who would draw pictures to explain how her heart worked. By the time she was 17, she needed surgery to replace a valve and to patch the leaky holes that were allowing the oxygenated and non-oxygenated blood in her heart to mingle.

I was the only teenager on the heart floor. There were little ones all around me, she said. I was kind of an anomaly because I'm one of the first generations that survived into adulthood with congenital heart disease.

Courtney went through a short bout of depression after surgery, unaware of the link between congenital heart defects and mental health. She couldnt go to church camp that summer, or drink Dr Pepper, or hang out with her friends as much as she liked.

Medication after surgery helped keep her blood pressure down and her heartbeat more regular. And her oxygen levels improved. She was able to sing in the school show choir and assist as manager of the school sports teams. She went on to earn a masters degree in nursing.

In her mid-20s Courtney experienced episodes of chest pain where her heart raced to 200 beats per minute. She and her husband didnt think she could safely go through a pregnancy. Thats when Courtney found a support group for adults with congenital heart disease, which led her to a local cardiologist who specialized in adults with congenital heart disease and an obstetrician who specialized in heart disease in pregnancy.

Reassured that the obstetricians experience with other heart mamas would help get her body through the stress of pregnancy and delivery, Courtney became pregnant. It was a tough journey; she went into heart failure midway though, and the leaks inside her heart increased. Three weeks early, she delivered a healthy, 5 pound, 2 ounce baby boy. Courtney and her husband grew their family several years later by adopting their younger son.

Courtney became Dr. Pilgrims patient several years after the ACHD program opened at Cook Childrens. She trusts that shes in the right place with experts knowledgeable about congenital issues. Under Dr. Pilgrims guidance at annual appointments, she has come off of medications. She can run and lift weights.

She advises parents to make life as normal as possible for children with congenital heart disease. She feels fortunate her own parents raised her like she was just Courtney and not defined by her heart problem.

I still needed discipline. I still had high expectations at school. My defect wasn't a crutch, she said. Sometimes I feel like we don't push our kids because they have something wrong. But a kid is a kid, and they're resilient. So just treat them like a kid. Let them be a kid, because that's going to make them more successful moving on.

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Cardiology Specialists Keep a Pulse on Adults Born with Heart Defects - Checkup Newsroom

Cardiology

A Living Legend of Health Equity in Stroke and Heart Disease – Penn Medicine

By Queen Muse

The name Edward S. Cooper adorns a bustling internal medicine practice at Penn Medicine in University City. The patients who come for a variety of routine medical care every day might not know the story behind the centers namesake, but they should. Edward S. Cooper, MD, is an accomplished Black physician and living legend whose illustrious career was marked by numerous groundbreaking achievements in cardiology and health equity. Now an emeritus professor, Cooper served over 40 years as a faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania and 25 years as a committed trustee at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Recently, at the age of 97, Cooper announced plans to step down from that role. His impact and his story continue to resonate with his former colleagues and new generations of physicians and physicians-to-be at Penn and across the medical field.

Born in Columbia, South Carolina, on December 11, 1926, Cooper's medical journey began with a profound sense of purpose instilled by his parents, Ada Sawyer Cooper and Henry Howard Cooper, Sr., DDS. His father and two brothers were all dentists, and Cooper aimed to follow in their footsteps, albeit on a slightly different path. After earning an AB from Lincoln University and an MD from Meharry Medical College, where he graduated with the highest honors, Cooper embarked on a career as a cardiologist.

As the only Black intern in his class at Philadelphia General Hospital, then the city of Philadelphias public hospital, Cooper witnessed numerous severe stroke cases, many of which were among Black patients. This inspired him to want to make an impact in the area of heart disease and stroke. Midway through his internship, though, Cooper had a harrowing battle with pneumonia that, at one point, he thought he might not survive.

I almost died, Cooper recalled in an interview with NBC. I said, Good lord if you get me through this, I promise you Ill do something about this stroke problem or at least make people aware of it and try to prevent it.

Cooper made good on his promise. He went on to co-found and co-direct the Stroke Research Center at Philadelphia General Hospital. In 1958, Cooper joined the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and began providing internal medicine services and educating patients on stroke prevention through his private practice at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Over the next four decades, Cooper made seminal discoveries examining how racial differences affect stroke in Black individuals and other understudied populations in medicine. His work uncovered similar risk factors in stroke and coronary disease, such as high blood pressure and high lipid levels, bringing new attention to these common causes.

Emphasizing the significance of these contributions, Kenneth Margulies, MD, a professor of Cardiovascular Medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine, said Coopers efforts to identify racial disparities in preventive factors for these diseases helped to mobilize both public health and individual provider responses to these challenges. And they inspired Margulies to make similar contributions to the field in his own career.

Cooper made history in 1972 when he became the first Black tenured faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. It would not be the last of his landmark moments. In June 1992, after serving the American Heart Association for over 30 years, Cooper became its first Black president. He went on to serve as chair of the AHAs Stroke Council and of the committee that produced the AHA's influential scientific statement: Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke in African-American and Other Racial Minorities.

Cooper later published a book, Stroke in Blacks, with co-author P.B. Gorelick, which is regarded as one of the first comprehensive texts on the epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of stroke in Black patients. Today, Scott E. Kasner, MD, the director of Penns Comprehensive Stroke Center, keeps a signed copy of Coopers book on his desk. He says the book and Cooper inspire his work daily.

He dedicated his career to studying the critical issues related to epidemiology, risk factors, and management of stroke in African-Americans, with a particular focus on disparities in the diagnosis and treatment of hypertension, said Kasner. I am currently leading an effort to improve the diversity of enrollment in stroke clinical trials. So even though Ed and I didnt collaborate directly, there is no doubt that his lifes work heavily influenced mine.

Throughout his career, Cooper became a trusted physician and friend to Civil Rights icons, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the late performer and activist Harry Belafonte, fascinating details that his humility will allow him to share if asked. He has also used his influence to help his students, mentees, and fellow physicians reach their full potential for impact.

I am just in awe of his career accomplishments, said Gerald DeVaughn, MD, clinical assistant professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at Penn Medicine who cares for patients at HUP-Cedar. On each occasion, he amazes me with his wisdom that is so humbly submitted. While noting that he did not have the opportunity to work directly with Cooper in the clinic, DeVaughn said, There have been career opportunities that have mysteriously opened up for me. He doesn't know that I know that he was the clandestine operative behind the curtain. I am not alone. He has been an advocate for the careers of many African-American physicians in the Delaware Valley and nationally. Many are grateful for his mentorship.

Coopers many titles and responsibilities sometimes made it difficult for him to spend as much time as he would have liked with his wife, Jean Marie Wilder, who was also a physician, and their four children. Coopers daughter, Lisa Cooper Hudgins, MD, however, says she understood her fathers work was important in more ways than one.

He was a great dad but a busy dad, so every moment on vacation was precious, said Hudgins, who also attended medical school at the University of Pennsylvania. As a Black man in medicine, he knew he had to prove himself. He was 100 percent devoted to his focus on stroke and hypertension. He truly felt this was his mission.

The American Heart Association in Philadelphia, recognizing Coopers impact on the field, bestows its highest honor in his name each year. Margulies was the recipient in 2022, followed by another Penn Medicine cardiologist, Paul J. Mather, in 2023.

Mather noted the impact and honor of Coopers influence. The more you learn about this man, the more incredible you know he is. He's a national figure and hero to many, Mather said. The thing that strikes me the most is his elegance and kindness. You sit next to him, and you feel the power of his intellect and drive, but it's enveloped in kindness and gentle elegance that makes you just sit in awe of him.

Having witnessed and contributed to several decades of transformation in medicine, Cooper says the most important tool to ensuring his work toward health equity continues in the future is medical school recruitment. He noted what an AAMC report, Altering the Course: Black Males in Medicine, uncovered: that more Black men were applying and matriculating to medical schools in 1978 than in 2014. Since then, increases in Black male enrollment in medical school has been minimal. In 2021, Black men accounted for only five percent of all physicians in the U.S.

Weve been working on it for years, and in some ways, it still hasnt changed, Cooper said. Its to everybodys advantage to get students interested in science early, start recruiting them as early as tenth grade, and create opportunities for more Black men to be in medicine.

Today, Penn Medicine has invested in programs including a partnership with the College of Physicians of Philadelphia to support more young Black men entering medical school, and a pipeline program to help expose college students to medical school and provide a pathway to admission was expanded in 2022 to include several historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

Coopers advice to those doctors in the making who are soon to carry the torch: Work hard, study hard, and strive for excellence.

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A Living Legend of Health Equity in Stroke and Heart Disease - Penn Medicine

Cardiology

Cardiologist at heart of TAVR controversy loses hospital privileges due to ‘disruptive,’ ‘inexplicable’ behavior – Cardiovascular Business

Interventional cardiologist Dinar Shukla, MD, has lost his bid to return to work at Health Sciences North, an academic hospital in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, after an appeals board ruled that his behavior was disruptive and inexplicable. The boards final decision is now available in full, providing a detailed look at a controversy that went on for several years.

CTV News reported on the appeal boards decision first, noting that things began in 2014, when Shukla helped develop the transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) program at Health Sciences North (HSN).

Almost immediately, Shukla began having regular problems with his fellow cardiologists. This would eventually lead to another physician being put in charge of the hospitals TAVR team. The choice led to a schism of sorts in the hospitals cardiology department; doctors on Shuklas side vs. doctors who were not on his side. As detailed in the board's decision, the doctors who supported Shukla referred to themselves as Concerned Cardiologists.

Issues at the hospital continued to get worse and worse as time went on. Shukla accused one colleague of performing a TAVR procedure without the required oversight, for instance, though other members of the TAVR team said this was not true. Shukla also said he had to step up and save a patient due to complications other cardiologists could not addressthat claim was also refuted by his colleagues as well,

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Cardiologist at heart of TAVR controversy loses hospital privileges due to 'disruptive,' 'inexplicable' behavior - Cardiovascular Business

Cardiology

Hospital doesnt miss a beat when it comes to cardiac care – Martha’s Vineyard Times

February is Heart Month. No, not because Valentines Day falls midway through the month, but to raise awareness about heart health.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women. An average of 659,000 people die in the U.S. each year from the disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In addition, women are experiencing unacceptable and avoidable heart-related illness and death, and nearly half of U.S. women do not recognize that heart disease is the leading cause of death for women, according to the Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention. Heart-health disparities specific to women widen and deepen when combined with race, ethnicity, and other social factors.

As the need for quality cardiac care grows, along with the population of the Island, the Marthas Vineyard Hospital Cardiology Department has expanded its services over the years, with the number of cardiology visits to the hospital increasing from 209 service line visits in FY20, to more than 2,200 in FY22.

Offerings include EKGs, Holter Monitors-Mobile Cardiac Telemetry, cardiac rehabilitation, stress testing (including nuclear), echocardiograms, pulmonary function tests, vascular consults and testing, implanted cardiac monitoring devices, and more.

Dr. Aliya Browne, Medical Director of Cardiology at Marthas Vineyard Hospital, has been a provider at the hospital since 2020 and has been in practice for more than 20 years. Dr. Browne has expertise in treating heart failure, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, among other conditions.

In addition to the many cardiology services offered, last year at this time, the radiology department at the hospital launched a new screening process for cardiology patients. Known as Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA), the exam uses a CT scanner to detect the presence of coronary heart disease.

The importance of the CTA is that we can actually see the arteries, said Dr. Browne. The patients who have mild abnormalities on stress tests and some symptoms of concern, weve been sending them off-Island to get a simple CAT scan that we can now do here.

In partnership with Massachusetts General Hospital, the CTA is a less invasive way to detect potentially blocked arteries and other heart issues without the patient undergoing cardiac catheterization, which is similar to a surgical procedure and requires anesthesia, adding risk for the patient.

The CTA exams are part of the hospitals ongoing efforts to provide higher level tests for preventative care, Dr. Browne said, adding, Weve come a really long way in being able to support our patients.

The cardiology team at Marthas Vineyard Hospital includes two advanced practice providers and several specialty cardiology physicians from Massachusetts General Hospital, as well as expanded services to include advanced vascular studies, pacemaker implants, and heart failure clinics.

Heart Month is a reminder that heart disease is avoidable, even if you have a family history. Eighty percent of premature heart disease and strokes are preventable, according to Dr. Browne.

Lifestyle changes can have a large impact in preventing cardiovascular disease, or in keeping it from worsening. Experts recommend that you control high blood pressure, reduce cholesterol by avoiding foods high in cholesterol, exercise regularly, get enough sleep, and quit smoking.

For more information on cardiology services at Marthas Vineyard Hospital, visit mvhospital.org/services/cardiology.

Health Beat is sponsored by Marthas Vineyard Hospital. It informs and advises on health issues, shares health tips, and helps the community to become better acquainted with Marthas Vineyard Hospital, the physicians, and staff. For more information, visit mvhospital.org.

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Hospital doesnt miss a beat when it comes to cardiac care - Martha's Vineyard Times

Cardiology

Cardiologist on the beat for healthy hearts | News, Sports, Jobs – Marietta Times

Dr. Jason Schott is an interventional and structural cardiologist at Memorial Health System. He started working for Memorial in the summer of 2022. (Photo by Michelle Dillon)

February is National Heart Month and Mid-Ohio Valley residents have a range of cardiovascular services they can receive in the area.

Memorial Health System offers minimally invasive procedures to treat a range of cardiovascular issues in patients in the Mid-Ohio Valley at its Marietta and Belpre locations. One of the doctors offering cardiovascular services at Memorial is Dr. Jason P. Schott.

Schott, 36, grew up in Noble County. In junior high school he and his classmates were studying the cardiovascular system and dissecting hearts. He always knew he wanted to help people. He started following surgeons after learning about the cardiovascular system, with Dr. Michael Sarap being the one he shadowed the most. Sarap was someone that Schott wanted to emulate.

Schott decided in high school he wanted to be a cardiothoracic surgeon based on his time with Sarap. Then he went to cardiothoracic perfusion school when he was in undergrad and then started shadowing Dr. Joe Mayo, an interventional cardiologist. This got him interested in interventional cardiology, Schott said about his journey becoming an interventional and structural cardiologist.

Schott went to medical school at Ohio State and worked in Columbus, Michigan and other locations. He left his home 18 years ago to get his training and start his career, but he always knew he wanted to come back, Schott said.

Dr. Jason Schott, an interventional and structural cardiologist at Memorial Health System, shows off a device used to perform a transaortic valve replacement. Memorial offers many minimally invasive procedures to treat cardiovascular issues using devices like it and others. (Photo by Michelle Dillon)

Schott has worked in cardiology for seven years and started working for Memorial as an interventional and structural cardiologist approximately a year and a half ago in the summer of 2022.

Its good to be home, Schott said.

According to Schott, an interventional cardiologist diagnoses and treats mostly coronary artery disease, while a structural cardiologist diagnoses and treats mainly valvular heart disease and structural issues of the heart.

People in the area need to know that they do have access to care locally and that the cardiology department at Memorial can be liaisons to get the care they need, Schott said.

Schott and other cardiologists at Memorial perform procedures to fix cardiovascular issues. Many of these procedures are minimally invasive.

Schott said when babies are in the uterus there is a hole in the heart. This hole is called the foramen ovale and is a small flaplike opening between the upper chambers of the heart, the atria. As a baby grows the hole closes in 80% of people. In the other 20%, the hole does not close; this is called a patent foramen ovale. This does not cause an issue for most people, but it can allow blood clots to migrate, which can cause a stroke or other issues, Shcott said.

Cardiologists at Memorial, like Schott, can perform a minimally invasive procedure to fix this issue. The cardiologist puts a small camera in a patients vein, then uses a wire to get a device up to the patent foramen ovale. The device to fix the issue is deployed. It has disks that open on each side of the flap and they sandwich it. It takes six months for the hole to then seal off. Closing the patent foramen ovale lowers a patients risk of stroke, he said.

Cardiovascular disease in the Mid-Ohio Valley is very prevalent, Schott said.

Schott said this is due to tobacco use and genetic components. The cancer risk in the area is quite high also and probably from tobacco, genetics and environmental factors. People who receive radiation for cancer are at risk of cardiovascular disease.

Many cardiovascular issues are inherited but there are things people can do to lower their risk of cardiovascular issues. Schott stresses primary prevention, like smoking cessation, monitoring blood pressure, watching cholesterol and monitoring glucose.

Schott also said getting regular exercise is important for lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Baby steps, Schott said about how much exercise a person should perform. Whatever gets you moving.

According to Schott, people can also modify their diet to help lower their risk of cardiovascular disease too. People should fill up on vegetables, increase their fiber intake, eat fruit in moderation, limit carbs and eat whole grains as their carb source, and eat leaner meats like fish, chicken and turkey, and eat low fat dairy.

Schott is very proud of the cardiology team he works with at Memorial, he said.

I cant say this enough about our team, we treat people like our neighbor or our family. You cant care any more than our team does, Schott said.

Schott likes providing cardiovascular care and thinks that it is really rewarding.

Its a labor of love, he said.

To learn more about the cardiovascular services MHS offers, visit https://www.mhsystem.org/services/heart-cardiology-vascular-services/.

Michelle Dillon can be reached at mdillon@newsandsentinel.com

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Cardiologist on the beat for healthy hearts | News, Sports, Jobs - Marietta Times