Love Your Heart: A Cleveland Clinic Podcast

Pericarditis is a word that has been used a lot lately. There have been many changes in the world of pericarditis. Dr. Allan Klein, Director of the Center for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Pericardial Diseases, talks about the diagnosis, causes and treatment of pericarditis.

Echocardiography can be a useful diagnostic tool in caring for cardiac patients. Dr. Richard Grimm and Dr. Rhonda Miyasaka speak about various types of tests using echocardiography. Learn indications, benefits, and challenges of these imaging tests.

Welcome to Part 2 of the 2-part series for cardiac sarcoidosis. In Part 1, Dr. Christine Jellis, Dr. Manuel Ribeiro Neto and Dr. Ziad Taimeh discussed a team approach to caring for patients with cardiac sarcoidosis. In Part 2, learn about diagnosis, testing and treatments for cardiac sarcoidosis.

Sarcoidosis often affects more than one organ, meaning patients may need to see more than one type of doctor. Dr. Christine Jellis, Dr. Manuel Ribeiro Neto and Dr. Ziad Taimeh discuss a multidisciplinary team approach to caring for patients with cardiac sarcoidosis. Learn what sarcoidosis is and how the heart is involved in part 1 of this 2 part series.

Implantable Defibrillators or ICDs are used for both primary and secondary prevention of life threatening arrhythmias. Dr. Oussama Wazni, Section Head Electrophysiology and Pacing talks with Dr. Bruce Wilkoff, Director of Cardiac Pacing and Tachyarrhythmia Device about defibrillators and who needs one. They discuss low EF, as well as other devices used for treatment of heart failure. Learn about I...

Pacemakers are implanted when your heart beat is too slow. Dr. Oussama Wazni and Dr. Roy Chung, Director of Physiologic Pacing Center talk about a new pacemaker technique called physiologic pacing, including who benefits and outcomes at Cleveland Clinic. If you need a pacemaker you may benefit from this type of pacing.

What is a normal blood pressure? Preventive cardiologist and co-director of the Center for Blood Pressure Disorders, Dr. Luke Laffin discusses what blood pressure tells you. He discusses what may make your blood pressure become high or low.

Alcohol septal ablation is a treatment for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, performed at Cleveland Clinic since the late 1980’s. Dr. Samir Kapadia describes hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), how this treatment is used and who the best candidates are. Dr. Kapadia discussed outcomes of septal ablation vs. surgery (septal myectomy). HCM requires a team approach involving cardiologists, surgeons and gene...

Aspirin, like all medicines, has many benefits, but also some risks. Dr. Steve Nissen, Chief Academic Officer for Sydell and Arnold Miller Family Heart, Vascular and Thoracic Institute, answers who should take aspirin, who should not, and what the current recommendations are.

Problems with sleep can affect your heart. Cardiologist Dr. Michael Faulx and Dr. Reena Mehra, Director of Director of Sleep Disorders Research, have worked together to investigate this relationship. It is important to know what to look for to see if you have a sleep problem or at risk for sleep problems – such as obstructive sleep apnea. Testing for sleep apnea can be done at home – or in lab. Tr...

Hiatal hernia is a common condition where the upper part of the stomach pushes through an opening in the diaphragm and into the chest. Thoracic surgeons Dr. Siva Raja and Dr. Monisha Sudarshan answer common questions about hiatal hernia.

It’s important to take your medications the right way to avoid problems and to get the biggest benefit. What keeps patients from taking medications correctly? Mike Militello, cardiac pharmacist, provides the answer to this question and gives tips on how to make sure you take your medications correctly: from questions to ask your doctor; ways to remember to take your pills (from simple “old school”...

The Cardio-OB Clinic takes care of women who either were born with heart disease or acquire heart disease – before pregnancy – during pregnancy and – after pregnancy. Dr. Joanna Ghobrial, Director of the Adult Congenital Heart Disease Center, and Dr. Katherine Singh, Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialist, talk about the types of patients who they see in the clinic and the multidisciplinary team avail...

Dr. Grant Reed, Interventional Cardiologist, talk about how we place stents and what we do when there is calcium in the coronary artery to allow the stent to be deployed safely.

Aortic dissection is a scary diagnosis. Dr. Scott Cameron, Dr. Milind Desai, Dr. Sean Lyden and Dr. Eric Roselli answer questions patients have about aortic aneurysm and aortic dissection.

What are varicose veins and spider veins? Dr. George Anton a vascular surgeon and Director of Cleveland Clinic’s Vein Center answers common questions patients have about these vein problems:• Why do they occur?• How do you prevent them?• How to choose and wear compression socks?• Are varicose veins and spider veins dangerous?• Treatment options for spider veins and varicose veins?• Recovery after...

Patients who are born with a congenital heart condition have many questions about heart care over the years.

Patients have many questions about cardiac devices. Electrophysiology and device experts Drs. Thomas Callahan, Oussama Wazni and Bruce Wilkoff talk about indications for getting a pacemaker and/or ICD and when patients need lead or device extraction. The doctors discuss how extraction is performed, outcomes of this procedure, what happens if complications occur, and how new innovations are lesseni...

Should you take a supplement if you have had a heart attack, stroke or coronary bypass surgery? Will supplements prevent future events? Dr. Luke Laffin, Preventive Cardiologist, provides some facts about common supplements and questions we have unanswered. If you live in Ohio, they are currently enrolling patients in a trial called the SPORT study to answer the question: do supplements make an imp...

The first documented stopped heart surgery was performed on February 17, 1956. Dr. Lars Svensson, Chairman of the Heart, Vascular and Thoracic Institute reviews the operative notes from this innovative surgery performed by Dr. Donald Effler and Dr. Lawrence Groves, using a heart lung machine developed by Dr. Willem Kolff at Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Svensson uses illustrations to take us step by step...

Questions about use of cannabis in heart transplant patients (pre and post) are increasing due to its availability, legalization in some states, and media. What should patients know? Dr. Eileen Hsich, Medical Director of the Heart Transplant Program at Cleveland Clinic, Kathleen Faulkenberg PharmD, University of Kentucky, and Caroline Olt, MD, an internal medicine resident at Cleveland Clinic, co-...

A calcium score screening heart test (also called coronary calcium scan) is a test that uses computerized tomography (CT) to detect calcium deposits in the coronary arteries of your heart. A higher coronary calcium score suggests you have a higher chance of significant narrowing in the coronary arteries and a higher risk of future heart attack. Cardiologist Dr. Milind Desai talks about the test an...

The American College of Cardiology completed their 2021 scientific sessions, where many research teams presented trial results. Dr. Steve Nissen, cardiologist and Chief Academic Officer, Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute, presents the summaries of three trials answering the following questions: Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion Study (LAAOS III): If you have atrial fibrillation and undergoing...

Many patients have questions about diet and medications – and cardiovascular disease risk factors. Preventive Cardiology dietitian Julia Zumpano, RD, LD, and Dennis Bruemmer, MD, PhD, Director of the Center for Cardiometabolic Health, discuss modifiable risk factors – and how diet and lifestyle plays a big role. What diet has the greatest success in preventing heart disease? When are medications n...

Vascular disease experts answer important questions about carotid artery disease:How is it diagnosed? What symptoms require emergency care? What can you do to treat it medically? How do you prevent further blockage? What degree of narrowing requires an intervention? What are the treatment options? What do you do if the carotid artery is completely blocked?