Author: eri

How To Make Heart Healthy Lifestyle Choices with Cardiologist Dr. Andre Paixao

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When it comes to your heart health, heart healthy lifestyle choices can make all the difference. Arkansas Heart Hospital cardiologist Dr. Andre Paixao sees patients in all stages of their journey with heart disease, from preventative cardiology to fixing problems with the structural heart, and he cites lifestyle changes as one of the most effective ways to prevent heart disease or keep the heart from getting sicker.

Studies have shown that the most heart-healthy diet is a Mediterranean diet, and it’s one that Dr. Paixao often recommends to patients. When you think of Mediterranean food, you may think of feta cheese, wheat and fatty foods — not necessarily things you would classify as “heart-healthy.” But Dr. Paixao advises that while not every Mediterranean dish is going to be a healthy one, some of the key ingredients in a Mediterranean diet are ones that help make your heart strong — ingredients like nuts, olive oil, fruits and vegetables, whole grain, fish and poultry. A glass of red wine every day is even recommended to help keep the heart healthy. Most importantly, it’s crucial to avoid processed food products and dairy, as excess amounts of these can cause heart problems down the line.

Regular exercise can also help build your heart’s strength. The American Heart Association advises patients to aim for 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise at least five times a week. Dr. Paixao says that most patients who exercise believe they are doing this, but may not actually be exercising with enough intensity to do their heart any good. In an exercise study, it was found that nearly 50% of participants believed they met these requirements. But once they were put on heart monitors to track their exercise, only 5% were exercising as hard as they thought they were. Fitness bands and exercise trackers are good ways to make sure you’re getting the proper exercise to keep your heart healthy.

While maintaining a healthy diet and exercise are important, Dr. Paixao emphasizes that it’s okay to indulge every once in a while. Food is meant to be enjoyed, not just help you survive, and enjoying a meal out with friends or family is nothing to be ashamed of.

Keep the Beat

Want to know your risk for cardiovascular disease? The Keep the Beat heart screening and educational program provided only by Arkansas Heart Hospital, includes nine components to build a cardiovascular risk profile, which one of our world-class providers will review with you. This valuable information eliminates uncertainty and helps you move forward with lifestyle and risk-management changes to keep your heart healthy. Purchase one for you or a loved one today. It’s only $49 for the month of February.

Pet Therapy at Arkansas Heart Hospital: Meet Annie Sue

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For several years, Arkansas Heart Hospital has used pet therapy as a way to promote healing, motivate progress and lift spirits for our patients. These furry friends aren’t just helpful companions in times of need – they’re instant mood boosters when they walk through our doors. We’ve seen countless faces light up at just the moment they need something to smile about, and we know it’s going to be a good day when we see these pups in our halls.

Pet therapy is a guided interaction between a person and a trained animal that aims to help that person recover or cope with a health problem or mental illness. At Arkansas Heart Hospital, dogs are the pet therapy animals our patients interact with, though there are many types of animals that can be used in pet therapy. We’ll be introducing you to some of our four-legged friends and the people that love, care for and train them to be a blessing to our patients.

Upon his retirement 4 years ago, Darrell was looking for a way to occupy his time when he was invited to attend a Central Arkansas Pet Partners (CAPP) meeting. Pet Partners is a national organization with a local chapter that provides pet therapy training for handlers and their pets. They have been training through their therapy program since 1990 and have set the standard for what it means to deliver excellence in animal-assisted interventions. During the meeting Darrell attended, a discussion took place in which those attending shared why they were involved with CAPP. They talked about their pets and the types of places they visited to deliver therapy. One woman shared about how she and her pet would visit hospice, and this resonated with Darrell – his wife had passed away about eight years prior and spent the end of her life in hospice. He was so grateful for the care his wife received while she was in hospice care. “This just seemed like a great way to give back and help others in similar situations,” he said.

Darrell’s dog Annie Sue is an 8 year old Golden Retriever. Darrell got her when she was six weeks old. They have been involved in CAPP for about two years. They did all of their training, both handler and pet, through the Pet Partners training program. This consists of training for the handler and training/testing for the dog. As soon as Darrell was certified as a handler and Annie Sue passed her test, they were ready to begin “visiting” patients.

Darrell knew when they started this journey that Annie Sue would be the perfect therapy dog.

“You know when your animal is comfortable around people and you know what situations they will positively respond to,” Darrell said. “I knew from the beginning that Annie Sue would love it and do very well. I think every dog and handler find their own niche. In addition to impacting the people we visit, I found that I was also impacted. It has helped to meet some of my own emotional and spiritual needs.”

What is Annie Sue’s favorite activity?        

“Annie Sue loves to go for walks. We like to walk around a lake that is nearby. She loves to travel. I have family in Northwest Arkansas, she loves to get in the car and go. Squirrels, she loves squirrels. When we walk by the lake, she may give a half-hearted sniff and bark to the ducks, but man, the squirrels – she wants to get after them.”

What is one thing Annie Sue will not do?        

“Well, okay – this is embarrassing, but Annie Sue does not like to retrieve. I know, she is a Golden Retriever. But after one throw, she is pretty much done. No more retrieving.”

What is Darrell’s favorite thing about visiting?

The expressions on people’s faces. Not just the patients, whose reactions are priceless, but the expressions of delight, relief, joy and release that we see wash over the faces of the family members. It helps them to be able to see their loved one enjoy and be encouraged by a pet visit. It brings so much peace and comfort to the patient and the family. And the staff of the places we get to go – it is always such a treat to know that we are bringing a level of joy and relief to those working so hard every day to take good care of their patients. Such a little thing, yet so much impact.

Each handler and pet set their schedule for visiting and the places they like to go. Darrell and Annie Sue made about 100 visits last year. They love to go to Arkansas Heart Hospital and Clinic, Easter Seals, the airport and of course a local hospice.

We are privileged to have Darrell and Annie Sue visit our patients and staff frequently. Learn more about Central Arkansas Pet Partners here and discover how Arkansas Heart Hospital provides only the best in cardiac care for its patients.

 

 

Further Your Education and Your Career: Nursing Jobs at Arkansas Heart Hospital

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The nurses at Arkansas Heart Hospital are an integral part of our team – they care for patients at some of the most critical moments of their health journeys, educate patients and caregivers on how to manage new heart conditions, and walk alongside them through their toughest battles. We hold our team to a high standard and recognize the importance of lifelong learning, which is why we offer continual learning and certification opportunities for our nurses.

Over the course of 14 weeks, nurses in our Introduction to Cardiovascular Nursing internship learn how to apply their nursing knowledge in a cardiac hospital. Using an interactive approach with classroom teaching, expert preceptors and hands-on skill mastery, nurses grow from novices to expert critical care nurses. Arkansas Heart Hospital also partners with the city-wide LRCCP program to help our nurses further their careers with a career ladder pathway.

As nurses work toward their National Certification, we provide support and preparatory courses for CCRN, CMC, CNOR, RCIS and TCRN certification. National Certification is also recognized with one of the best packages in the region.

We’re always excited to welcome new nurses to our team, and new graduate nurse hiring will begin for the year on October 1. Learn more and apply here.

Dr. Monica Lo: Treating Atrial Fibrillation With A Heart Electrician

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If you ask Dr. Monica Lo what she does at Arkansas Heart Hospital, you may be surprised to hear her refer to herself as an electrician. While she’s not an electrician in the traditional sense, she does spend much of her time working with electrical circuits – the ones in the heart. A cardiologist with a subspecialty in electrophysiology, Dr. Lo treats patients dealing with atrial fibrillation. In honor of Atrial Fibrillation Awareness Month, we’re shining a light on “a-fib” and the work Dr. Lo does to help patients manage it.

Atrial fibrillation occurs when the heart’s electrical impulses are off, causing an irregular heartbeat and improper blood flow. A heart with a-fib beats too quickly, too slowly or erratically, and can ultimately lead to more serious health issues like stroke and heart failure.

Every a-fib patient displays different symptoms, but some of the most common risk factors come with age. More than 20% of patients over the age of 80 have a-fib, though it affects people of all ages. Because a-fib displays different symptoms in every patient, a diagnostic screening at your regular heart checkup is the best way to diagnose it.

At Arkansas Heart Hospital, Dr. Lo and the electrophysiology team at the Heart Rhythm Institute work with patients to find any potential underlying causes for their a-fib, reverse them, and help them manage the condition. Similar to medication used to manage blood pressure, patients who choose medication as their a-fib treatment will do so indefinitely. Eligible patients can choose to undergo an ablation procedure to more permanently treat their a-fib.

To learn more about atrial fibrillation, check out our Heart Rhythm Institute. For more information about how Arkansas Heart Hospital provides expert treatment for its patients, see our heart care services.

 

Enhancing COVID-19 Safety For Our Patients: Introducing The LightStrike Robot At Arkansas Heart Hospital

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Providing a safe place for our patients to get healthy has always been our top priority, which is why we’ve gone to great lengths to keep our facilities as safe and clean as possible since the start of the pandemic. We’re taking our precautions a step further by introducing the LightStrike robot, the first and only disinfection technology proven to kill SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19.

Arkansas Heart Hospital is the first health care facility in Little Rock to use the LightStrike robot, a device that can kill the virus in just two minutes. The robot runs in five-minute cycles and can disinfect an entire patient room in 10-15 minutes. It can be used in any area of the hospital – from offices to operating rooms and any public spaces that need to be disinfected. Every area is cleaned by Support Services personnel, and once the room is visually cleaned, the robot destroys the pathogens that are invisible to the naked eye.

“Our goal has always been to provide the safest possible healing environment for our patients. Arkansas Heart Hospital already has a comprehensive infection prevention program in place, and we are very excited about adding this robot to our infection prevention bundle,” said Dr. Bruce Murphy. “Our hospital has always been a technology leader, so we felt this was a necessary move to help fight the spread of COVID-19.”

To see the robot in action, check out KARK’s coverage of how the robot sanitizes patient rooms in minutes.

You can learn more about our current COVID-19 safety precautions here. If you are concerned about routine checkups or emergency visits, read our previous post on whether or not you should go to the hospital.

 

Experiencing Leg Pain? Know Your Peripheral Arterial Disease Risk Factors

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When you’re experiencing leg pain, your thoughts don’t typically turn to your heart health first – but issues with blood flow could be causing issues like peripheral arterial disease in your legs. In honor of Peripheral Arterial Disease Awareness Month, we talked to Dr. Ian Cawich about some of the peripheral arterial disease (PAD) risk factors and how we treat it at Arkansas Heart Hospital.

PAD is a disease that blocks the arteries and causes blood flow to the legs to slow or stop, and patients often experience leg pain and numbness. The first step for diagnosing potential PAD patients is a screening that checks blood pressure in the arms, thighs, calves and ankles. A significant drop in blood pressure between the arms and ankles confirms that blood is not flowing properly, and our team begins to outline the treatment plan that works best for each patient’s diagnosis.

Dr. Cawich points out that while there are risk factors that you can’t control, there are ways to manage your risk through lifestyle change.

Peripheral arterial disease risk factors you can’t control:

  • Family history of PAD
  • Aging – increased risk over the age of 70
  • History of heart conditions

Peripheral arterial disease risk factors you can control:

  • Smoking – Smokers are four times as likely to develop PAD.
  • Diabetes – diabetics are at a greater risk for developing PAD, but Arkansas Heart Hospital offers programs to help manage diabetes. Learn more here.
  • High blood pressure – monitoring and controlling your blood pressure can decrease the risk of PAD.
  • Obesity – manage your weight in a healthy way to prevent PAD. Learn more about BMI services at Arkansas Heart Hospital here.

Millions of Americans are unable to remain physically active due to the leg pain caused by PAD. If left untreated, PAD can lead to amputation and can put you at a greater risk for heart attack and stroke.

For an evaluation, see our experts at the Vein and Vascular Institute.

Get To Know Dr. Wesley Lane – An Interventional Cardiologist Bringing Life-Saving Cardiac Care

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At Arkansas Heart Hospital, we’re able to deliver the best care in the region because our team is made up of the best physicians in the region. For Dr. Wesley Lane, an interventional cardiologist, it was our patient-centered approach to cardiac care that drew him to Arkansas Heart Hospital.

While he did not set out to become a physician, taking medical school courses during his first year of graduate studies led him to pursuing a career in medicine. He gravitated toward cardiology at the beginning of his residency in internal medicine, and has since been trained in both interventional and structural cardiology.

As an interventional cardiologist at Arkansas Heart Hospital, Dr. Lane performs a variety of interventional procedures, such as balloons, stents and peripheral vascular intervention, as well as general and preventative cardiology. He understands that what makes our care great is our patient-centered team approach and the number of individuals working behind the scenes to provide the best possible care – and it’s what he says he loves about our team. He brings life-saving cardiac care to our patients across the state in Pine Bluff, Warren and Little Rock.

Dr. Lane met his wife in medical school, and they have four children together. He enjoys weightlifting and exercising, and has a passion for teaching, which he gets to put into practice through his church’s Sunday School class.

To learn more about Dr. Lane, read his Q&A here. You can also get plenty of heart health insights from our expert cardiologists and other heart care providers here.

 

 

Getting Fit At Home – Upper and Lower Body Exercises That Improve Heart Health

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Regular exercise is an easy and effective way to keep your heart strong healthy. Regular activity prevents and manages conditions such as high cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar, all factors that affect heart conditions such as heart disease, stroke, heart attack and atrial fibrillation (AFIB). 

Workouts are a key component of our StrongHearts program, and our StrongHearts team members walk us through three exercises that improve heart health, are bariatric-friendly and appropriate for all fitness levels.

7 effective exercises for heart health

Exercise equipment

  • Chair
  • Wall
  • Dumbbells
  • Resistance band

Target areas

  • Biceps
  • Deltoids
  • Shoulders

Goblet squat workout

Exercise equipment

  • Kettlebell or dumbbell
  • Chair

Target areas

  • Quads
  • Calves
  • Glutes

Inner thigh workout

Exercise equipment

  • Yoga ball
  • Chair

Target area

  • Inner thighs

 

Russian twist workout

Exercise equipment

  • Chair
  • Dumbbell (optional)

Target areas

  • Core
  • Legs

Find more heart healthy exercise routines.

Yoga you can do in the office.

Find other great heart health tips here. And for healthy and tasty meals, check out our recipes page.

Meet Dr. James Tucker – A Bariatric Surgeon Dedicated To Helping Patients Reach Their Weight Loss Goals

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Though he’s native to Arkansas, Dr. James “JJ” Tucker has gone far and wide in his medical career as a bariatric surgeon. He attended medical school at the American University of the Caribbean and completed his General Surgery residency in Philadelphia. After spending much of his residency focused on bariatrics, he moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to complete a fellowship in Bariatrics, Robotics and minimally invasive surgery.

Thankfully, his journey then brought him back to his home state and Arkansas Heart Hospital, where he is a part of the Bariatric and Metabolic Institute team, serving as a bariatric surgeon. Dr. Tucker is licensed by the Arkansas State Medical Board and board certified by the American Board of Surgery, and he is a Fellow with the American College of Surgeons and American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgeons. With the Bariatric and Metabolic Institute, Dr. Tucker helps patients reach their weight goals and regain their health through minimally invasive surgery.

Because he grew up in Hot Springs, Dr. Tucker is passionate about the community, where he now enjoys spending time with his wife and two children. He likes to spend time golfing, biking, hunting and enjoying the lake with friends and family.

Learn more about bariatric surgery here and how it can be a great investment in your life.

Arkansas Heart Hospital named to Newsweek’s World’s Best Hospitals

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Adding to its prestigious resume of national recognition, Arkansas Heart Hospital was recently named one of the Top 6 US Hospitals for cardiology in Newsweek’s World’s Best Hospitals list.

The ranking is based on the recommendation of medical professionals, patient surveys and performance against medical-based criteria. Patient surveys consider factors such as general satisfaction with the hospital, recommendation of hospital, satisfaction with medical care, and satisfaction with service and organization. Newsweek, in conjunction with Statista, compiled a board of medical experts to evaluate hospitals around the world, and Arkansas Heart Hospital was named among the best in the world as well as one of the top six US hospitals for cardiology.

“We are incredibly proud to be on an elite list of only six hospitals nationwide to be recognized by Newsweek for our world-class cardiology services,” said Dr. Bruce Murphy, CEO of Arkansas Heart Hospital. “It is a true testament to the emphasis we continually place on providing leading edge, high-quality cardiac care.”

In addition to this recognition by Newsweek, Arkansas Heart Hospital has been recognized as a Five-Star Overall Hospital by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services – the only hospital in the state to receive it for two consecutive years. Every member of our staff continually strives to bring our patients the best care in the region, and distinctions like these only drive us to provide even better care for our home state. Learn more about our ratings here and get more news and insights for our hospital here.