Cardiovascular Clinic Education and Resources

A smartwatch — a digital wristwatch that pairs with the user’s smartphone — can do more than send message notifications and news updates. Did you know that some smartwatches can help detect atrial fibrillation (A-fib)? Dr. Garrett Sanford, Washington Regional cardiologist, discusses ways your smart watch can help you keep up with your heart health....

Aortic stenosis is a serious, progressive heart valve disease that makes it difficult for the heart to pump blood. Left untreated, it can lead to heart failure and even death. Traditionally, treatment for severe aortic stenosis was valve replacement with open heart surgery. But for some patients there is a minimally invasive treatment option called TAVR–transcatheter aortic valve replacement....

You’ve probably heard of good cholesterol and bad cholesterol and understanding what each one means is important to your health. Brian Mahana, APRN with Washington Regional Cardiovascular Clinic explains what you need to know the next time you have your cholesterol checked....

When your heart is working correctly, it contracts and relaxes in a regular rhythm. If your heartbeat speeds up or becomes irregular, you may be experiencing atrial fibrillation, says Justin Partin, an advanced practice nurse at Washington Regional Cardiovascular Clinic, part of the Washington Regional Walker Heart Institute. "Atrial fibrillation, or AFib, is an irregular heart rate in which the atria, or top chambers of the heart, and the ventricles, or lower chambers of the heart, are not beating in synch," Partin explains. "The atria chambers are actually beating in a much more rapid rate than the ventricles."...

Feeling confused about all the recommendations for improving your heart health? It may be easier than you thought. There are three very simple things you can do to maintain a healthy heart: proper diet, exercise and smoking cessation....

You might be able to guess that the most common heart attack symptom is chest pain, but it's important to recognize other possible symptoms as well, says Dr. Garrett Sanford, a cardiologist at Washington Regional Cardiovascular Clinic, part of the Washington Regional Walker Heart Institute. "Not recognizing the symptoms of a heart attack can lead to a delay in medical treatment," he says.

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is a medical condition in which the force of blood flowing through the blood vessels is consistently higher than normal. When not well managed, high blood pressure can lead to heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, vision loss, sexual dysfunction and peripheral artery disease....

Washington Regional is the first hospital in Arkansas to offer the latest version of optical coherence tomography, or OCT, a type of technology that allows cardiologists to look inside coronary arteries during a heart catheterization. "In practical terms, it's near-infrared light, which is able to look at the arteries of the heart from inside out to determine in high-resolution pictures if there is any blockage or other problems," says Dr. Zubair Ahmed, a cardiologist at Washington Regional Cardiovascular Clinic, part of the Washington Regional Walker Heart Institute....

Tiny devices that help regulate the heart’s rhythm have been around since the first cardiac pacemaker was implanted in the late 1950s. Implantable cardioverter defibrillators, or ICDs, came along in 1980. Pacemakers and ICDs are both battery-powered devices that are implanted below the skin to keep track of an individual’s heart rate using thin wires, called leads, that connect to the heart. If an abnormal heart rhythm is detected, the devices automatically deliver an electric shock to restore a normal heartbeat. Although the devices work in similar ways, their duties are different....

Leg pain can have many causes. One of the most potentially serious is peripheral artery disease. This happens when arteries that carry blood from the heart to other parts of the body become blocked by an accumulation of cholesterol and other substances. When this occurs in the lower extremities, restricting blood flow to the legs and feet, it can mean problems elsewhere....

Whether felt as a racing heart, palpitations or a fluttering in the chest, an abnormal heart rhythm should be evaluated by a medical professional who can determine the most appropriate treatment. Medications work well for many people, but when those are not effective, treatment may include cardiac ablation. This minimally invasive procedure creates tiny scars in heart tissue to block electrical signals that are causing the abnormal heart rhythm, or arrhythmia....

The Vein Clinic at Washington Regional offers evaluation and treatment of vein disorders that occur primarily in the legs, such as varicose veins, spider veins and venous reflux....