On October 3rd, University of Florida doctors treated their first patient in a new study that is evaluating stem cells and their exact role in regenerating blood flow to the heart. They are testing this new and experimental procedure in patients that continue to live with angina and severe heart disease despite all attempts of medicines and other treatments. Just how will the stem cells work?
“The general idea is that by providing these cells of blood vessel origin, we hope to either generate new blood vessels from the growth of these implanted cells or stimulate the heart to …read more

Have you ever thought, “what happens to my heart during sex?” I watched a special on the discovery channel a few evenings ago and learned more than I ever wanted to know about my body and sex! And I still find it interesting, well actually sad, that we do not incorporate sexual education into our cardiac patients treatment plan.
Let’s get real, your heart definitely gets a workout during the horizontal hokie pokie. Not enough to cancel your gym membership, but enough to mention. Here is a peek at how your heart reacts during the 4 stages …read more

What came first, the chicken or the egg? That is a question I often ask myself while “taking care of” my cardiac patients. As a nurse, my mind often wanders to the thought of, “what if they had taken better care of themselves years ago”? Now, I know that genetics and family history plays into cardiac disease, but so does obesity, lethargy and an unhealthy lifestyle.
So when my patients that haven’t exercised in years, not even a walk to the end of the driveway, are admitted to the hospital with CHF, MI, STEMI’s, angina, ACS and high …read more

This week for Heart-to-Heart, I found the story of Deb who writes I am still here…. She shared her experience in the emergency room after waking up with chest pains. She did not have a good experience to say the least.
Finally a cardiologist walks in. He talks very loud, and asks me questions, but interrupts me before I can answer. He looks at my EKG readout and says, Anyone looking at this would think you had a heart attack, but I think its just the way your heart sets in your chest. I am not lying. This is …read more