Time to Test Your Heart

Chest pains, also called angina, are scary, but are often triggered by non-cardiac causes such as underlying stress or anxiety. However, they can also be a symptom of life-threatening coronary artery disease, narrowing or blockages of the blood vessels that supply oxygen-rich blood to your heart.

            That’s why the first step your cardiologist might take to diagnose your angina is a cardiac stress test. This non-invasive examination evaluates your heart’s electrical system and how well it works when physically taxed by exercise or medications.

            The most common kind of stress test involves walking on a treadmill while your heart’s activity is monitored by an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG). Your cardiologist will first study your heart while it is resting to obtain a baseline measurement. Then, every three minutes or so, the speed of the treadmill will be increased.

            When stressed during exercise, a heart beats faster and blood supply to the organ increases. Blood supply to specific parts of the heart muscle may lag due to a blockage in one of the arteries, which could lead to symptoms of chest pain or shortness of breath and/or EKG changes.

            A cumulative score called the Duke treadmill score, can be calculated from the time on the treadmill, EKG changes and symptoms of chest pain. This score will give your cardiologist the information he or she needs to determine whether or not you have a heart problem.

            Other forms of stress testing involve imaging. These include:

• a stress echocardiogram, a non-invasive test that uses sound waves to visualize your heart’s structure and function before and after a stress test;
• a nuclear stress test, which uses a radioisotope tracer (usually thallium) to image a specific area of the heart muscle.

            Patients who are unable to exercise on a treadmill due to other medical conditions—such a respiratory illness, hip/knee problem, or back pain—may undergo a pharmacological stress test. 

            This kind of test, explains Holy Name interventional cardiologist Tariqshah Syed, MD, requires the patient to lie down while the physician evokes the same kinds of responses from the heart with medication, as with treadmill exercise. “The patient is continuously monitored by a cardiologist and a nurse during all types of stress tests,” assures Dr. Syed.

            Dr. Syed notes that when the blood supply to the heart increases during exercise or because of medications, it should increase to every part of the heart.  “If not, then we suspect a blockage,” he says, “and portions of heart muscle might be in jeopardy.”

            If these blockages are in small arteries or are not severe, medication and lifestyle changes, such as amping up exercise or quitting smoking, might be prescribed. If a large portion of the heart muscle is not receiving adequate blood, an angiogram using cardiac catheterization would be the next step, says Dr. Syed.

            During an angiogram, a cardiologist threads thin catheters through the wrist or groin up to the heart to assess blood flow to the organ. If there is a blockage, an interventional procedure, such as angioplasty and stenting, may be used to open the blockage and keep it from recurring.

            Depending on the patient’s diagnosis and prognosis, Dr. Syed says a cardiologist may recommend a follow-up exercise stress test and outpatient cardiac rehabilitation.

For a referral to a Holy Name Medical Center cardiologist please call 1-877-HOLY-NAME (1-877-465-9626).

Here Comes the Sun - Skin Cancer Prevention Starts Now

Anyone who spends time outdoors in the sun needs to take important steps to prevent skin cancer. Those who must work outside during 10 am to 4 pm, when the sun is highest in the sky, must be especially careful. Even when the sky is cloudy, you can sustain sunburn. An umbrella will not protect you against damaging rays that reflect off the sand, ocean, or concrete. So to protect yourself: 

• always wear sunscreen with at least SPF 15
• wear a hat with a brim of at least three inches
• wear light clothing with a close weave that doesn’t allow sunlight to pass through
• minimize sun exposure between 10 am and 4 pm if you can
• wear UV-blocking sunglasses
• take breaks out of the sun
• stay hydrated

Holy Name Medical Center Establishes Headache Treatment Program for Migraine Sufferers

Holy Name Medical Center has established a Headache Treatment Program for the care of adults, adolescents and children who suffer from intractable migraine headaches, and for whom conventional methods of therapy have failed. Holy Name neurologist James Charles,  MD, FAAN, FAHS, is medical director of the Headache Treatment Program, and is certified in headache medicine by the United Council of Neurologic Subspecialties.

Under the direction of staff neurologists, intravenous medications are administered on an outpatient basis by nursing staff specially trained in the field of headache medicine to ensure maximum safety and effectiveness. Children and teens are treated on the Medical Center’s pediatric and young adult floor; adults are treated in the adult infusion center. Most patients require one visit; others may need repetitive, daily treatment for up to three days. Holy Name is the only facility in New Jersey offering infusion therapies to intractable headache patients of all ages.
 

Early intervention can re-set the brain’s headache mechanism

“Studies have demonstrated that, with early intervention, as soon as the patient is identified and that patient is placed onto an appropriate treatment program, the transformation to the malignant, disabling forms of migraine can be prevented,” explains Dr. Charles.  “This is a biological disease that is often genetic. A migraine attack lowers the threshold for more brain attacks. More brain attacks cause anatomic and functional alterations of the brain, setting the stage for more frequent and debilitating migraine headaches.”

According to Dr. Charles, infusion therapy is highly effective for patients with:

Ø       chronic migraines with and without medication overuse, who have failed multiple treatments to prevent or stop migraine symptoms, and who are disabled by their headaches but do not require or desire inpatient treatment

Ø       migraine headaches lasting longer than 72 hours and that do not respond to conventional medications

Ø       acute migraine attacks that last fewer than 72 hours, are debilitating, and not responsive to self-administered medications

Ø       prolonged aura

Ø       cluster headache exacerbation

Ø       new, daily persistent headache

“While most patients experience relief after an outpatient treatment, continues Dr. Charles, “there are those whose headache attack will not terminate after days and weeks, and there are some chronic migraine patients whose headaches do not respond to oral medications.  The Headache Treatment Program at Holy Name is designed for such patients. Children, teenagers, and adults are treated with the appropriate medications to break the vicious headache cycle, and leave our infusion center feeling better. The long- term goal is to reset the brain 's neurochemistry so that, in conjunction with targeted outpatient treatment, patients can go from frequent severe headaches to minimal headaches. “

“Lowering the burden of migraine starts with educating the public, especially parents and teachers,” notes Dr. Charles. “It is a misconception that an acute headache with nausea, vomiting, and the need for bed rest is due to conditions such as sinusitis, eyestrain or dental problems. “

Facts & Stats About Migraine Headache

Ø      The World Health Organization has placed migraine in the top 20 group of most disabling diseases of the world. 

Ø      In the United States, there are 28 million people over the age of 12 who suffer with migraines.

Ø      In the US, there are eight million children under the age of 12 who suffer with migraines.

Ø      Thirty percent of migraine sufferers never see a doctor because they have low-frequency intermittent headaches, experience occasional headaches, and do not require medical assistance.

Ø      Seventy percent of migraine sufferers fall into one of two categories: About 40% will have intermediate to high-frequency migraine attacks. The remaining 30% will transform to chronic migraine which is defined as more than 15 headache days per month.

Ø      Chronic migraine patients (adults and children) have decreased academic performance, impaired work productivity, and can become socially withdrawn.  

For more information about migraine headache or the Headache Treatment Program at Holy Name Medical Center, patients may contact Holy Name’s Call Center at 1-877-HOLY-NAME.

Embracing All Cultures - Holy Name Medical Center Korean Medical Program Recognized by NJBIZ

Holy Name Medical Center’s Korean Medical Program (KMP) has been named a finalist in the NJBIZ Healthcare Heroes awards program. NJBIZ, a business news publication, honors individuals and organizations who are making a significant impact on the quality of healthcare in New Jersey.

               Currently celebrating its fifth year of providing culturally and linguistically sensitive healthcare to the Korean-American population, the KMP has grown exponentially since its founding. Eighty physicians are associated with the program, and the number of annual patient visits to the Holy Name Medical Center (HNMC) campus and KMP satellite locations in Closter and Englewood Cliffs has grown to 40,000, a 90% increase over the program’s first year.

                HNMC has become the Korean community’s hospital of choice- where Korean-speaking patients and visitors are greeted in the lobby by Korean-speaking customer service representatives, patients are offered warm liquids instead of ice water and new mothers served seaweed soup, in keeping with their cultural traditions.   Through extensive media coverage in local Korean media outlets, the KMP is raising the population’s awareness of the importance of prevention, screening and early detection, particularly of illnesses that are prevalent in the Korean- American community.

Included among the programs and services offered  to the community are the Annual Community Health Fair where tests,  vaccinations, screenings,  and consultations are provided free of charge to 1500 uninsured/underinsured individuals; the Walk for Mom Breast Cancer Awareness campaign; Mental Health campaign; and Hepatitis B/Liver Health campaign.  The Asian Diabetes Center screens 2000 patients annually, and the Healthy You Program provides individualized health plans to reduce high cholesterol and improve overall health of participants.

                 Other programs have been created to meet the needs of the diverse community served by Holy Name. The Hispanic Outreach Program offers culturally-sensitive healthcare and screenings and seminars for Spanish-speaking individuals in churches, schools and libraries throughout Bergen, Hudson and Passaic counties.

Observant Jewish patients will find accommodations at Holy Name that include kosher meals for patients and guests, a Sabbath overnight room for family members, a Sabbath elevator, Sabbath lounge stocked with kosher snacks and two separate microwaves for meat and dairy, an interfaith chapel and end- of -life hospice and palliative care programs that have been accredited by the National Institute for Jewish Hospice.

Inspired by Holy Name’s founding order, the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Peace, Holy Name is committed to helping our community achieve the highest attainable level of health.  It’s not just our job to serve every member of our community. It’s our mission.

For more information about Holy Name programs and services or for a physician referral, please visit holyname.org or call 1-877-HOLYNAME (1-877-465-9626).