Page 5 - Summa Health Vitality Winter 2018

What’s Your Number? 130

For the first time in 14 years, the American Heart High blood 80
Association has redefined the reading used to pressure =
diagnose high blood pressure. top number 130 That is a change
or higher and from the old definition
The new guidelines mean 46%
bottom number of 140/90
nearly half of the 80 and higher
U.S. adult population and higher

(46%) has high
blood pressure

14%While about more people will be High blood pressure accounts for the

diagnosed with high blood pressure, there second largest number of

will only be a small increase in those who preventable heart disease and stroke
deaths, second only to smoking.
will be prescribed medication.

To see if you fall under these new guidelines, schedule a checkup with your primary care physician. If you
still need a PCP, visit summahealth.org or call 888.689.2037 to schedule an appointment.

worth mentioning. But after his “We don’t often see young That includes his attitude toward
physician learned of the chest patients in cardiology, but visiting the doctor.
pain, Romen was sent to Romen’s ASD had the potential “I’m not glad that this happened,
Summa Health cardiologist to really impact his quality of life,” but it’s a blessing that it did
Steve Klautky, M.D. for cardiac said Dunn. “Instead of performing happen how it did because we
evaluation and possible testing. open heart surgery, we opted for caught it early,” he said. “If you
An echocardiogram and cardiac a minimally-invasive procedure don’t have a doctor, go get one!”
MRI revealed the cause of his called a percutaneous closure.”
chest pain. Romen had a large Justin Dunn, M.D. showing an
Atrial Septal Defect (ASD)—a The ASD closure involved ASD device that clamps together
hole in the wall between the two inserting a device with two small to plug the hole of the heart
upper chambers of his heart. discs into Romen’s heart through
a catheter. One disk was placed
ASD is a congenital heart defect— on each side of the hole, in the
meaning the hole in his heart left and right chambers of the
had been there since birth. While heart. Then, they were clamped
it went unnoticed for years, as together to close the hole.
Romen grew, the hole grew too.
The procedure was complete
Instead of pumping blood to in about an hour, and Romen
the rest of his body, Romen’s went home to his family the next
heart would pump blood from day. Now, the chest pain is gone
one side to the other. Left and he has the rest of his life
untreated, the ASD could lead ahead of him.
to heart failure. So Dr. Klautky
referred Romen to Summa Health “After I had my procedure,
interventional cardiologist Justin everything changed,” said Bryant.
Dunn, M.D. for ASD closure.

A wellness checkup is recommended once a year. Schedule today at 888.689.2037.

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