Singer Randy Travis is awake after undergoing stroke surgery, <b>heart</b> <b>...</b>

NASHVILLE — Country music star Randy Travis was awake and interacting with his family and friends Monday as he recovers from surgery following a stroke, his doctors said.

In a news release and video from the Texas hospital where the 54-year-old singer is recovering, doctors said Travis remains in critical condition and on a ventilator, but is off a heart pump and is breathing spontaneously. His breathing support is gradually being reduced and he has begun the early stages of physical therapy.

Mary Davis, Travis’ fiancée, thanked the singer’s friends and fans for their prayers and support.

“I know that Randy feels each and every one of those,” Davis said in the video. “He feels the hands of the doctors and the care of the nurses and the love of his fans. His friends and family have all been touched by that. He is responding well to voices and he sees and he understands. He’s miles beyond where any of us thought he would be a few days ago.”

Travis will stay at The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano for two to three more weeks before being transferred somewhere else to undergo aggressive physical therapy. Doctors say it will take months to recover from the stroke, but scans shows the swelling in his brain is subsiding following surgery and he is making good progress in his recovery.

The Grammy Award-winning “Three Wooden Crosses” singer checked into the hospital on July 7 after a viral illness affected his heart.

Doctors said Travis has a seriously weakened heart — a condition called cardiomyopathy — that the viral infection apparently made worse. However, he doesn’t have an active heart infection, and doctors said long-term, he should be able to manage his weakened heart with medication.

Dr. Michael Mack, a cardiac surgeon and medical director of cardiovascular disease at Baylor Health Care System in Dallas, said Travis’ heart no longer needs a small pump to help control blood flow.

Mack said echocardiograms indicated the heart problem was not caused by drug and alcohol abuse.

“Mr. Travis does have a family history of cardiomyopathy and it is more likely related to that,” Mack said.

Travis has had troubles with alcohol recently and pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated in January following an accident last August. He received two years of probation and a $2,000 fine. He was required to spend at least 30 days at an alcohol treatment facility and complete 100 hours of community service.

Before falling ill with a viral upper respiratory illness, he’d recently made several public appearances, including a spot on the Country Music Association Festival’s nightly concert lineup and a poignant performance at George Jones’ funeral.

Travis was admitted to Baylor Medical Center McKinney near his home in Tioga, about 60 miles north of Dallas, and was transferred to The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano after doctors stabilized his heart with the pump. As doctors removed the pump, he had the stroke, Mack said.

The North Carolina-born Travis is a traditional country purist known for hits “Forever and Ever, Amen” and “I Told You So.” His 1986 Warner Bros. debut album “Storms of Life” sold 3 million copies, and helped return country music to the sound of Hank Williams and George Jones. It also made Travis and his mellow baritone a star, leading the way for other artists from Alan Jackson to “American Idol” winner Scotty McCreery.

A kinder, gentler <b>heart care</b> | health enews

If you asked Mark Hobson to compare the two cardiac catheterizations that he’s had, he wouldn’t hesitate to say which he preferred. Hobson sought treatment for chest pains.

“The second one was so much better…by a long-shot,” says Hobson, a 53-year-old public safety officer at Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, Ill, who has a history of heart disease.

What was the difference? The first procedure was done through his femoral artery—the method that is used in the vast majority of heart catheterizations in the U.S.

“For the second heart cath, they went in through the artery in my wrist,” says Hobson, showing a tiny scar about the size of a pea. “Was much easier, way more comfortable and I was up and back at work faster. I left with a small bandage on my wrist, and that was it. I couldn’t believe the difference.”

Mark Hobson

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), cardiac catheterizations remain one of the most common invasive procedures performed in this country, with an estimated 2.7 million Americans undergoing the procedure each year.

In the U.S., 95 percent of cardiac catheterizations are done through the femoral artery, while less than 4 percent are performed via the artery in the wrist, according to the AHA.

During a cardiac catheterization, small tubes are inserted into the circulatory system either through the femoral or radial (wrist) arteries to get information about blood flow and pressures within the heart. It can also determine if there are obstructions within the coronary arteries that feed the heart muscle. Many times, cardiologists performing the procedure will insert stents to open up an artery and help restore blood flow.

Dr. Timothy Alikakos, an interventional cardiologist at Advocate Condell who performed the procedure on Hobson, says, “When you go in through the femoral artery in the groin, there is greater risk of bleeding, and the patient needs to remain prone much longer after the procedure. When you go in through the artery in the wrist, there’s virtually no bleeding risk, the patient can walk around after the sedative for the procedure has worn off and it is much more comfortable for the patient.”

Dr. Alikakos says that since there are so many advantages of a radial catheterization over the traditional method, people may wonder why more cardiologists aren’t performing them.

“In Europe most catheterizations are performed through the radial artery,” says Dr. Alikakos. “We are much slower on uptake for a number of reasons. Many cardiologists aren’t trained to go through the radial artery. And, the procedure is more technically challenging—the radial artery is smaller than the femoral artery, and for many years the equipment to fit that artery hasn’t been available here.”

Radial catheterization isn’t appropriate for all patients, however, he says. “If the patient has a complex condition that would require using a larger catheter, then the femoral artery approach is more appropriate,” says Dr. Alikakos. “Patients must also have good blood supply to the wrists via both the radial and ulnar arteries.”

Hobson is thankful that he had his procedure done this way. “Psychologically, the difference was huge prior to the procedure. Lying on the table with my arm out versus going through the femoral artery made me feel, mentally, more comfortable with the procedure, as well.”

Hammersmith Hospital unveils £2.5m laboratories for <b>heart treatment</b>

Sir Bruce Keogh, medical director of NHS England officially opens a new catheter lab suite at Hammersmith Hospital.

TWO new laboratories costing £2.5million have opened at Hammersmith Hospital.

Sir Bruce Keogh, national medical director of NHS England, unveiled the cardiac catheter labs at the White City hospital on Tuesday last week.

Sir Bruce took a tour around the Augustus Waller Department of Electrophysiology, which has new diagnostic imaging equipment and will mean doctors can diagnose and treat irregular heartbeats, and perform coronary angioplasty to widen narrowed arteries.

Other treatments include TAVI, a less invasive form of aortic valve replacement to treat narrowed heart valves and minimally invasive closures of holes in the heart.

The new labs are part of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust’s move to contain all cardiology services on a single site, after the electrophysiology department at St Mary’s in Paddington was moved to Hammersmith Hospital.

A former cardiothoracic surgeon at Hammersmith in the 1990s, Sir Bruce said: “The cardiology service at Hammersmith Hospital has a fantastic heritage and a great future thanks to the trust’s ambition and academic leadership.

“The trust is in good financial shape and this will help to develop services while, as part of an academic health sciences centre, the department will be able to conduct important trials and be involved in translational research for the benefit of patients.”

The new facilities are part of a five-lab suite to improve quality of care, research and patient experience.

They are named after August Waller, a professor of physiology at St Mary’s Hospital whose research led to the development of the electrocardiograph (ECG), which records the heart’s electrical activity.

Dr Kevin Fox, the trust’s chief of service for cardiology, said the opening represented a bright day for people at risk of heart disease in north west London.

He added: “We have created a hub for acute cardiac care in north-west London, linking a fantastic Imperial College London research facility to clinical care on the same site. Working in partnership with London Ambulance Service, we uniquely in north-west London offer 24/7 care for people whose heart is beating life threateningly fast or slow, whose heart arteries are blocked or whose heart muscle is failing.”

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Baptist Health Richmond Begins Advanced <b>Heart Care</b> <b>...</b>

Baptist Health Richmond

Baptist Health

announced today, it will be able to perform lifesaving heart care 24/7 through a procedure called “angioplasty.” Moments matter when anyone suffers a heart attack. The first step in improving your chances of survival during a heart attack is to recognize the symptoms of a heart attack. The second step is to call 9-1-1. The third step is to get to the closest hospital that can provide life-saving heart care.

“When it comes to a heart attack, time is muscle,” said Ananth Kumar, MD, Medical Director of Interventional Cardiology.

During a heart attack, a clot forms in an artery supplying blood to the heart and blocks blood flow to that area of heart muscle. The portion of the heart muscle deprived of blood and oxygen is damaged. This is called a “myocardial infarction,” more commonly known as a heart attack. The amount of lasting damage to the heart muscle depends on a number of factors—the size of the clot, the location of the clot, and how long the clot blocks blood flow to the muscle. The longer the heart muscle is without blood and oxygen, the more extensive the damage to the muscle and the greater the size of the heart attack.

In order to preserve heart muscle, angioplasty (the procedure is sometimes called percutaneous coronary intervention,” or PCI) allows normal blood flow to be restored to the injured heart muscle within minutes. This minimally invasive procedure is performed in a cardiac catheterization laboratory by specially trained cardiologist. Angioplasty may involve the placement of a small wire device called a “stent.” A stent is shaped somewhat like the spring of a ballpoint pen and may be inserted into the artery to help it remain open after a clot is removed.

Baptist Health Richmond received State Certificate of Need (CON) approval to perform life-saving, percutaneous coronary intervention (angioplasty) for patients coming to the hospital’s Emergency Department having a heart attack.

“Our CON approval for emergency PCI builds upon our accreditation as a Chest Pain Center,” said Todd Jones, President at Baptist Health Richmond. “We offer fast diagnosis and treatment for patients coming to our Emergency Department with signs and symptoms of a heart attack. Our dedicated physicians and staff work hard to provide our community with high quality, compassionate heart care.”

The State approval led to a new state-of-the-art cath lab for the interventional procedures at Baptist Health. “The people of Madison and surrounding counties deserve access to the gold standard for emergent heart care. We are proud to offer this service here in Richmond. Through our partnership with EMS, we know lives will be saved and our community will benefit from this advanced heart care,” said Jones.

According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), the gold standard to open the artery is 90 minutes from arrival in the Emergency Department. Not only will Baptist Health Richmond be able to provide this level of service, they will be able to help facilitate the same quality service for neighboring communities like Berea, Irvine, Mt. Vernon, McKee and Lancaster.
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Community have taken <b>caring</b> centre to its <b>heart</b> (From Swindon <b>...</b>

Community have taken caring centre to its heart

7:50am Tuesday 23rd July 2013 in News

By Matthew Edwards

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Cook Caroline Blunsden is ably assisted by Nicholas Flack

THE door is always open at a charity that has been taken in by the community of Gorse Hill.

The Open Door Centre is based at St Barnabas’ Church Hall and has been supporting adults with learning difficulties since its launch in 1985.

It has supported hundreds of people in Swindon, and with funding becoming harder to get hold of, it is relying more on people to support it than ever before.

It is not stopping the centre from being busy, though, and many of the service users have seen their lives turned around by the support they are given and the chance to socialise with other people.

Craig Hiscock, senior support worker, said: “The service is still really well used and we are busy all the time, but we are just facing a bit of uncertainty with regards to funding. I think the centre means a lot to the people who use it, not only for the social side of things but also for the help we provide them in their lives.

“The community of Gorse Hill have really embraced us. It took a while for people to get used to us being here but now you see the community really looking out for our members and the community are quite protective. We are proud to be part of it.”

When Paul Walter, 64, of Stratton, first attended the centre he was very shy and used to break into tears when people tried to speak to him.

Now, thanks to the support and care he has received at the centre, you can’t stop him talking, and he is happy to try his hand at any task – from cleaning to cooking.

He said: “I think the centre is wonderful for the work it does.

“The centre has changed my life. I never used to leave the house, but I am a lot more confident going out now and speaking to people and now I am able to live on my own.

“I do a lot when I am here, I am usually the first one in and I help with the cleaning. I also help with the cooking and all these skills I can use at home.

“The staff here are brilliant and it is a really friendly place to be.”

Mary Cryan, 45, of Rodbourne is also a regular user of the centre and said she has enjoyed some of the holidays they are taken on.

She said: “The centre has helped me a lot and I love being able to come here.

“I don’t get out a lot but when I come here I have got all my friends and the staff are really helpful.

“I always look forward to the holidays and have been to Ibiza and Benidorm which were really fun.”

The charity is looking for a trustee to help with marketing and raising the profile of the charity, as well as volunteers.

For more information, visit www.theopendoorcentre.co.uk