Heart of the Matter

Couple of items crossed my desk I thought you'd find interesting and both deal with your heart.

First . .the so called Merry Christmas Coronary and Happy New Year Heart Attack.

Studies indicate the risk goes up this time of year - for a couple of reasons. People who may be experiencing problems ignore them for fear the trouble could disrupt family festivities. That could be a deadly mistake.

Another reason for trouble - people on heart meds and following exercise and diet programs figure they can cheat a little - again, big mistake.

And then there's alcohol consumption. Increasing alcohol consumption can contribute to something called Holiday Heart Syndrome - alcohol has a toxic effect on the heart muscle and can lead to atrial fibrillation - an abnormal heart rhythm .. the same problem that recently affected v.p. Dick Cheney.

Doctors at Vanderbilt University are sending out a warning to stick to your heart health plan .. and if you're suffering any heart symptoms, get treatment.

The other interesting story I came across today comes from the Harvard Heart Letter. It details some questions you need to ask your doctor IF you're a heart patient in need of surgery for another problem.

The Harvard Heart Letter's questions include these:
• How urgent is the operation?
In an emergency, there's no time to second-guess cardiac risk. If the surgery can be delayed, cardiac considerations become more important.
•What’s your functional status? Can you climb stairs without needing to stop because of chest pain or breathlessness? The more you’re able to do, the less you need a presurgical cardiac evaluation.
•Do you have cardiac risk factors? Angina, diabetes, kidney disease, controlled heart failure, or a prior stroke increase the chances of heart trouble during surgery. If you don't have any of these risk factors, you probably don't need special precautions before surgery.