Don't wait until you face a cardiac emergency to seek treatment that could save your life. A cardiac evaluation at Auburn Regional Medical Center (ARMC) can help identify early signs of heart disease. With this knowledge, you can make lifestyle changes that may help you avoid a heart attack and other cardiac disorders.

A cardiac evaluation may be a good idea if you:

• Experience shortness of breath, chest pains or dizzy spells.
• Have a heart murmur.
• Have a personal history of heart attacks, heart failure or heart rhythm disorders.
• Have a family history of heart disease.
• Have several heart disease risk factors, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes or obesity.

"People don't have to travel out of the area to get the expert cardiac care they need," says James Wagner, M.D., Chief of Staff at ARMC. "Our staff of skilled and experienced cardiologists offer a broad scope of services from diagnostic tests to acute interventions for heart attacks to cardiac rehabilitation that meet most patients' needs."

Recent national studies show that ARMC has one of the fastest door-to-treatment times in the state. That means the staff at ARMC quickly evaluate heart attack patients and get them to the cardiac catheterization lab, where doctors can perform emergency procedures to restore blood flow to the heart. ARMC also has a long history of participating in research studies, such as the Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction or TIMI trials, with the University of Washington.

Expert Diagnosis Key to Effective Treatment
ARMC Cardiac Catheterization Center use some of the latest technology available to diagnose heart attacks, coronary artery disease and other cardiac disorders.

"Our goal is to perform routine and sophisticated diagnosed tests quickly and accurately," says Andre House, Director of Imaging at ARMC. "These tests help doctors make prompt diagnoses when patients are suffering heart attacks and also allow physicians to obtain important information that helps them assess, diagnose and develop comprehensive treatment plans for patients who have cardiac conditions."

ARMC has noninvasive cardiac testing in which staff perform tests and studies that help doctors evaluate patients' heart valves, heart muscle, coronary arteries and congenital heart defects. Some of the noninvasive tests available at ARMC include:

• Electrocardiograms or EKGs
• Echocardiography
• Exercise testing, including treadmill testing

"Our cath lab team of experienced cardiologists, critical care nurses and registered radiologic technologists is available 24 hours a day for patients who need cardiac testing," House says. "This team of highly trained professionals shares the same focus and dedication to their profession and offer exceptional patient care."

Cardiac Rehab Helps Patients Enjoy Life Again
Living with heart conditions can be stressful, but you don't have to recover alone. The rehabilitation specialists at ARMC's Cardiac Rehabilitation Program can work with you and your physician to develop an individual program that will help you return to an active and productive life.

"Patients who have suffered a heart attack, undergone bypass surgery or interventional procedures or learned they have heart disease are often very worried about their health," Dr. Wagner says. "Our well-established cardiac rehab program is designed to ease patients' concerns and help them make exercise and lifestyle changes that can reduce their risk for future cardiac events."

If you're hospitalized with a cardiac condition, the rehabilitation team will start working with you during your hospitalization. You can also begin cardiac rehabilitation as an outpatient if you don't need hospitalization.

During cardiac rehabilitation, team members will help you develop treatment goals and a health program. You'll attend education classes twice a week to learn about your condition, the benefits of exercising regularly and what lifestyle changes you can make to gain better control over your health.

Exercise will also play a key role in your recovery. Registered nurses and exercise physiologists will closely monitor you to make sure you're exercising safely and increase your sense of confidence and well being.

Finally, our rehab team members will be there to support you if you go through some emotional ups and downs during your recovery and encourage you while you develop your new approach to life.

Age 65? Learn About Targeted Care for Congestive Heart Failure
Heart attack may be the cardiac condition that people fear most, but it isn't the leading cause of heart-related hospitalizations in people ages 65 and older. Congestive heart failure (CHF) -- which occurs when the heart muscle is so weak or damaged that it can't pump blood to the body -- actually accounts for more hospitalizations in this age group.

Auburn Regional Medical Center has an innovative CHF program where the staff closely monitors patients with this condition and teaches them how to manage their symptoms.

If you're living with CHF, ARMC's program can provide you with strategies that will help you control your disease. For example, you will learn to:

• Understand the medications that your doctor prescribes and take them as recommended.
• Weigh yourself every day so you'll know when fluids start building up in your body. You should call your doctor if your weight increases 2 to 5 pounds in two to four days.
• Reduce your salt (sodium) intake to less than 2,000 milligrams of salt daily.
• Drink less than 64 ounces of fluid a day.
• Avoid alcohol.
• Lose weight if necessary.
• Talk with your doctor about how much and how often you should exercise.
• Learn how to recognize signs that your CHF is worsening and call your doctor right away when these symptoms start.

Don't Ignore These Heart Attack Symptoms
When a heart attack strikes, every second counts. Call 911 right away if you develop these heart attack symptoms:

• Chest pain or discomfort
• Pain or discomfort in the upper body -- one or both arms, back, neck, jaw or stomach
• Shortness of breath
• Breaking out in a cold sweat
• Nausea
• Lightheadedness

What Women Need to Know
Keep in mind that women often experience heart attack symptoms that differ from men's symptoms. While chest pain or discomfort is the primary symptom in both women and men, women are more likely than men to experience less obvious symptoms, such as shortness of breath, pain in the jaw or back, and nausea or vomiting.

Learning to recognize heart attack symptoms is one thing you can do to help combat heart disease -- the leading killer of men and women in the United States. You can also take steps now to safeguard your health. Talk with your doctor about what you can do to lower your chances of suffering a heart attack. He or she may recommend that you:

• Quit smoking
• Exercise regularly
• Lose excess weight
• Control diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol

AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION
Do you exhibit symptoms listed in the article? If so, please call the Heart Care Center at 253-333-2559 to learn if early evaluation and cardiac and pulmonary services available at ARMC can help you. Remember, in any emergency, or when someone exhibits severe symptoms such as chest pains, shortness of breath or dizzy spells, call 911.

WANT TO LEARN MORE?
Get heart smart! Please visit us online at www.auburnregional.com to read more about how you can keep your heart healthy.

202 North Division St., Auburn, WA 98001 (253) 833-7711, FAX: (253) 939-2376