Posted on December 21, 2013
How Do I Know The Right Time To See A Cardiologist
Cardiology answers complex questions about the heart as well as simple ones. One of the most frequent questions from a first-time heart patient is: when do I see a cardiologist? Advice on the subject is somewhat misleading.
The Timeline of Heart Health
Certain facts about heart health would have you believe you should see a cardiologist after the age of 40 or 45, depending on the circumstances. In actuality, that’s when the first signs of heart disease may start to present themselves.
It is always possible, especially in cases where heart disease is hereditary, for signs and symptoms to present much earlier. If heart disease runs in your family, you will most likely be monitored by the time you’re in your early 30s. However, tracking the signs and symptoms of cardiovascular problems does not necessarily involve going to see a cardiologist.
Your primary care physician can complete the initial stages of heart monitoring without having to involve a specialist. If your symptoms stay manageable with regular checkups and medications, you may not need to see a cardiologist at all.
There are only three instances in which you want to make an appointment to see a cardiologist:
- You are referred to a heart specialist by your primary care physician.
- You have signs and symptoms of heart disease that go beyond the point of medicinal manageability.
- You want the second opinion of a cardiologist independent of a referral.
By the way, suffering a heart attack qualifies as your symptoms going beyond the point of medicinal manageability. If a heart attack occurs, you will see a cardiologist on a regular basis indefinitely.
Why the Confusion?
It may seem like just about everyone around you is getting heart scans and stress tests, but these things aren’t usually recommended without the motivation of medical necessity.
You can always opt to get the tests regardless of whether you
Posted on December 20, 2013
What Can A Vascular Ultrasound Do For Me
An ultrasound scans the internal organs and functions of the body using an external device. The technology can tell doctors many things about your biological functions and health. A vascular ultrasound looks specifically at your circulation and blood flow as it relates to the vital functions of the:
- Heart
- Brain
- Lungs
- Kidneys
The blood flow to these organs is controlled by the rhythm and the rate of your heart. What doctors see on an ultrasonic scan can indicate underlying problems that have not started to surface symptomatically.
Customizing a Snapshot
A heart specialist can trace your blood flow from your carotid artery to the smaller profuse veins in your legs. If need be, the specialist can take a head to toe snapshot of your circulatory system.
What is being looked at on a vascular ultrasound? There are specific signs of circulatory problems that could lead to:
- Heart disease
- Heart failure
- Stroke
- Edema
- Pulmonary malfunction
- Kidney disease
These signs show up in your circulatory system first.
If the symptoms can be traced and the severity diagnosed; the underlying condition may be treated or slowed to improve your overall function and quality of life.
A vascular ultrasound allows a specialist to see the full picture of what your internal function looks like. That picture can be blown up or taken from far away. Depending on how large of an area your cardiologist wants to see, the specialist may take scans from different angles and ranges. The scans can include sound so that any change in rate or rhythm is noted.
Signs of:
- Blockage
- Impending hemorrhage
- Fluid buildup
- Organ enlargement
Can be seen on the ultrasound screen by a specially trained eye.
The sooner these warning signs are spotted, the better a patient can diligently start working against them and reducing their risk factors for heart disease and other related conditions.
So, to answer the question, what can a vascular ultrasound do for you? It can jumpstart your efforts to prevent and minimize the effects of heart disease on your body. The sooner you know where you stand on the risk scale, the better you can fight against the potentially fatal effects of the disease-that when caught early-is not only treatable; it’s preventable.
If your primary care physician or cardiologist is concerned about how hypertension and other risk factors are affecting your circulatory function; you will likely be asked to undergo a vascular ultrasound to pinpoint the internal cause of external triggers.
Schedule your vascular ultrasound at a local cardiac clinic and find out what happens next.
Dr. Seldon, a Heart Doctor and Cardiologist in New York City, offers same day appointments and all testing is done on site. Call us at (212) 367-8000.
Posted on December 19, 2013
Locate A Specialist For Blood Pressure In Manhattan
High blood pressure is a progressive symptom of heart disease. At first, it may seem to do very little damage, but over time it can lead to cardiac damage that causes heart attacks, strokes, and heart failure. Each of these outcomes is life-altering with the potential to be fatal.
Your best defense against this silent health hazard is to lead a heart healthy life and find a specialist for blood pressure.
The Importance of finding the Right Doctor for the Job
Many patients who struggle with high blood pressure start out on a medication regiment that is managed by their healthcare provider. This will work as a short-term solution, but it is not uncommon for blood pressure to prove difficult to control by standard medicinal means.
If you’re hypertension reaches a serious point, you will most likely be referred to a cardiologist. At this crossroads, it is very important that you make sure were your cardiologist is a certified specialist for blood pressure. The heart
Posted on December 18, 2013
How Do I Know If I Have High Blood Pressure
It’s time to talk about a scary, but necessary truth. The generally accepted notion that high blood pressure has symptoms attached to it is a myth. According to the American Heart Association, high blood pressure can be present for extended periods of time, yet symptomatically dormant.
This article will discuss the so-called “symptoms” of hypertension and the truth about how you can monitor your blood pressure.
Chosen Ignorance is not a Solution
If you asked the average person what the symptoms of high blood pressure are, you’d probably hear something like this:
- Severe headaches
- Facial flushing
- Anxiety
- Insomnia
- Shortness of breath
- Sweating
- Nosebleeds
People who are not getting their blood pressure regularly checked because they think hypertension comes with these symptoms, need to learn the facts about this condition sooner rather than later.
For instance:
- People with hypertension actually have fewer headaches than the general population.
- Facial flushing is not a reliable indicator of hypertension because it can happen for various reasons; anything from increased stress to spicy foods.
- Nosebleeds only occur in about 17% of all hypertension cases. The remaining 83% have no symptoms at all until they are in crisis.
Pay particular attention to the word “crisis” in the final statement above. Hypertensive crisis is when some of the symptoms people talk about actually occur, not before.
Don’t enter Crisis Mode, get your Numbers Checked
Let’s revisit the introduction for a moment. You may recall that cardiologists have said high blood pressure is a long-term, progressive problem that lies symptomatically dormant until it is life-threatening.That life-threatening stage is called hypertensive crisis.
It occurs when your heart
Posted on December 17, 2013
Is Having High Blood Pressure Dangerous
In a word: yes. High blood pressure is dangerous. As much as people might want to ignore that fact, it is a fact. The most dangerous aspect of hypertension is that it usually has no symptoms until the pressure in your heart has reached a critical point.
However, what you need to realize most is by the time the condition has reached a critical point, the focus is on saving your life, but the damage to your heart and circulatory system has already been done. You may survive but there will be physical repercussions for ignoring or mismanaging high blood pressure.
Now that you know the truth, why risk a life-altering outcome? This article will go into greater detail about what happens when your heart
Posted on December 16, 2013
Can I Die From High Blood Pressure
We’ve learned a lot about heart disease over the past several decades. As a result, heart patients are seeing a lot more information on risk factors and warning signs. Information is power, but it also leads to important questions. This article will focus on answering one of those important questions.
The question: can I die from high blood pressure?
The ebb and flow of pressure within the heart
There is a lot of conflicting information about high blood pressure. On the one hand, most people will tell you that you don’t have to worry about hypertension until you are showing signs and symptoms of the condition. On the other hand, health experts share a different perspective.
Like a lot of cardiovascular conditions; high blood pressure rarely has any symptoms, but the lack of symptoms does not mean that you are out of the woods. On the contrary, it could mean that a dangerous vascular time bomb is housed inside your heart. Probably not the picture you were expecting, but it might be more accurate than you think.
According to the Mayo Clinic, uncontrolled high blood pressure is a serious and life-threatening risk factor. What is it a risk factor for?
- Atherosclerosis
- Aneurysm
- Stroke
- Heart attack
- Heart failure
- Kidney disease
- Blindness
The functions within your body rely on a delicate balance so that your internal organs get all of the fuel and nutrition they need. When your blood pressure is elevated for a prolonged period of time, it upsets the delicate balance in vital functions start to topple.
The Domino Effect
Your heart
Posted on December 15, 2013
Who Performs A Vascular Ultrasound Test In New York
A vascular ultrasound is one of the advanced diagnostic tests that is performed by a cardiologist. If there is an issue with your heart function that affects your blood flow or circulation, and a vascular ultrasound may be able to better identify the source of the problem.
This article will take you through the basics of how this type of ultrasound works.
What is the cardiologist looking for?
The answer to this question really depends on what part of your heart is being scanned. The majority of your upper body blood flow is supplied by your aorta. The blood flows through the neck to the upper extremities and down to the lower abdomen before it divides into two arteries that feed the lion
Posted on December 14, 2013
How Can I Get Rid Of An Atrial Flutter
Electrical pulses from your sinus node are what control your heart
Posted on December 13, 2013
Are There Doctors In NYC Who Perform The Treadmill Tests
Treadmill tests are a normal part of the diagnostic process for cardiovascular disease. Depending on where you are in NYC, there are several clinical locations where these tests can be performed. The important thing to look for is all-inclusive care from an experienced cardiologist, like Dr. Mark Seldon.
What are treadmill tests for?
There are two different types of treadmill test that relate to cardiovascular function:
- Tests the heart rate and rhythm
- Tests the metabolic function that involves the heart, lungs, and circulatory system
The diagnostic purpose of the test will determine how these functions are monitored.
In either case, the goal is to get your heart rate up to anaerobic pace. This is done in stages using the treadmill. If you can sustain it, you will be at your highest heart rate for about 10 minutes during the entire test.
Electrodes will be attached to different areas of your torso so that your heart rate and rhythm can be monitored. These electrodes should not interfere with your ability to move during the test. If the cardiologist would like additional information on your heart, circulatory, and respiratory function; an additional breathing apparatus will be used during the test.
How will I communicate during the test?
The equipment used does not limit your ability to communicate with the staff running the test. Treadmill tests are designed so that you can verbally indicate what is going on while the tests are in progress.
In addition, the specialists administering the test are positioned right next the treadmill. There are a couple of important reasons for this:
- You
Posted on December 12, 2013
What Are The Benefits Of Getting A Treadmill Test
Getting a treadmill test is not only good for your heart, it also has other benefits that you may not have considered. It’s true that stress is part of what fuels the test, and but it’s not the stress you’re used to. Stress in this case refers to a certain level of physical exertion. That exertion highlights some important aspects of your current cardiac health and day-to-day lifestyle.
Why is this test beneficial?
On a very logical level, getting a treadmill test will tell you how well your heart is functioning.
When you work out, your body burns through more oxygen in order to circulate a sufficient amount of blood through your heart and body. If that blood flow is restricted or blocked, it will show up in your heart rate, rhythm, and metabolic functions.
This is one of the earliest predictors of heart disease and heart attack available. The sooner any problems are found, the better they can be dealt with.
Another benefit of this test is in how you respond to it. The American Heart Association estimates that at least 60% of the American population is under active. Being underactive is one of the biggest risk factors for heart disease. In order for a risk factor to be considered major, it has to at least double your risk of heart disease. The only other factors that rank as high as under activity are:
Getting a treadmill test might be your first exposure to a sustained period of exercise. The exposure can tell you what kind of aerobic workout works best for you and you might enjoy the physical activity more than you expected to. Anything that improves your odds of sticking to a heart healthy lifestyle should be considered beneficial.
What if the test results are problematic?
The good news is that the signs have been found. The focus can now shift to treating the symptoms and monitoring your progress.
Even if getting a treadmill test shows that you are at an increased risk for a health hazard like a heart attack, it’s better to know sooner than later. Now, you can focus on successfully counteracting the development of coronary artery disease and other potentially life-threatening conditions.
This may not sound like a benefit at the time, but given the alternative tests like these can indicate the effectiveness of treatment protocols and minimize the harmful effects of heart disease. Ask any cardiologist and they will tell you that the greatest benefit these tests can give you is life-changing knowledge.
Dr. Seldon, a Heart Doctor and Cardiologist in New York City, offers same day appointments and all testing is done on site. Call us at (212) 367-8000.
