Heart, Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Obstetrics, Women’s Heart Program

What’s the normal blood pressure for a pregnant woman?

If you’re pregnant and have a blood pressure of 140 systolic/90 diastolic or higher, you should see a specialist, as untreated high blood pressure can risk your health as well as the unborn baby’s. A healthy blood pressure for women and men is below 120/80. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force now recommends women who…

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Brand Feature, Heart, Heart Failure, Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Obstetrics, Women’s Heart Program

Alexis’ heart was giving out after her 3rd pregnancy — a long-term solution would have to wait for baby No. 4

At age 25, Alexis Helm had been pregnant three times, and her heart was failing. The increased blood volume from her pregnancies and strain on her heart muscle had taken a toll, as it does with many women. With her fourth pregnancy, she knew she risked damaging her heart further but wanted to do all…

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Heart, Women’s Heart Program, Womens Health

What are the signs of high blood pressure in women?

Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of blood vessels. High blood pressure, or hypertension, makes the heart work harder than normal. Left untreated it can scar and damage the blood vessels, and can lead to heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, eye damage and other dangerous conditions. Of the total adults…

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Cardiac Rehab, Cardiology, Diagnostics, Heart

It would have been a surprise heart attack, but new imaging technology revealed a hidden danger

Something just wasn’t sitting right with Tony Seadler. The 66-year-old Pewee Valley, Kentucky, native felt himself growing tired very easily, and the long walk down his 600-foot driveway had his full attention. “I had to stop two or three times on the way up the driveway,” Tony said. “My neck was hurting really badly. At…

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Atrial Fibrillation, Cardiology, Electrophysiology, Heart, Heart Rhythm Center

Why are my nail beds blue?

Fingernails are good for scratching itches, but they are also a window into your health. If the skin under your fingernails has a blue or purple tinge, you might need to see a health care provider or a heart specialist. Why are my nails blue? The medical term for blue nail beds is cyanosis. Cyanosis…

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Heart, Heart Rhythm Center, Sports Health

Commotio cordis is triggered by a unique sequence of events

Commotio cordis causes the heart to stop beating after taking a blow to a specific spot on the chest from a hard object striking at a precise time during the heartbeat, according to a heart rhythm specialist at Norton Heart & Vascular Institute. “It’s very rare because of all of these things that have to…

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Cardiothoracic Surgery, Heart, Interventional Cardiology

Patients with structural heart disease benefit from minimally invasive, collaborative approach

With age, injury and even infection, the structure of your heart can change. Sometimes, these changes affect valves that either don’t let enough blood pass or leak when the powerful muscle of the heart contracts, sending blood backward. It’s a complicated issue, and unlike other heart conditions, isn’t caused by diet, smoking or even genetics….

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Heart, Heart Attack, News, Norton Audubon, Norton Brownsboro, Norton Hospital, Norton Womens & Childrens Hospital

Norton Healthcare receives seventh consecutive Chest Pain accreditation

Norton Healthcare’s adult-service hospitals in Louisville have all received Chest Pain Center accreditation from the American College of Cardiology (ACC). This is the seventh consecutive accreditation for all four hospitals, which ensures quality for the treatment of heart attack. Norton Audubon Hospital, Norton Brownsboro Hospital, and Norton Hospital all are recognized for ACC Chest Pain…

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Employee stories - Norton Healthcare, Heart, Interventional Cardiology

Passion from purpose: Vipul R. Panchal, M.D., his story

There are moments in life we forget, and others we make sure we hold in our minds forever. For Vipul R. Panchal, M.D., interventional cardiologist with Norton Heart & Vascular Institute, one moment in time has shaped his career and approach to medicine, and he shares it whenever he gets the chance. During medical school,…

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Heart, Patient stories - Norton Healthcare

Noninvasive test reveals patient’s potentially deadly heart issue, allowing him to make healthy changes

Dan English got the kind of scare no one wants. He was on a construction site when his vision became blurry and his arms went numb. He had to step back to brace himself on a big piece of equipment — and then drove himself to a local hospital emergency room. Dan underwent extensive tests…

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Heart, Heart Failure, Patient stories - Norton Healthcare

Young Hardin County man reclaims his life with mechanical heart pump

DeAndr’e Gaines has lived most of his adult life with heart failure. Now at only 42 years old, the father of four is reclaiming life with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD). In his late 20s, DeAndr’e was diagnosed with nonischemic cardiomyopathy, a condition that deteriorated his heart muscle. At that time in his life…

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Health Equity, Heart

High blood pressure in African Americans

New research suggests that young African Americans (in their 20s, 30s and 40s) are living with or dying from conditions typical of older white Americans — like high blood pressure. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), high blood pressure is more common in non-Hispanic Black adults (54%) than in other non-Hispanic groups….

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