Women and Cardiac Care

The following symptoms may be experienced by a heart attack victim. The highlighted responses are often (but not always) more common in women:
• Pain or intense discomfort, pressure or full•ness in the middle of the chest, lasting for more than a few minutes
• Pain in areas of the upper body including one or both arms, neck or stomach
• Lightheadedness
• Breaking out in a cold sweat
• Pain or discomfort in the back and/or jaw
• Shortness of breath (with or without chest discomfort)
• Nausea/vomiting

Signs of an impending heart attack are often ignored. If you think you might be having a heart attack, call 911 immediately. Every second can count! Emergency medical personnel can start your heart if it stops and can usually get you into the emergency room faster than if you have someone drive you to the hospital. New clot-busting medicines and treatments may save your life and avoid damage to the heart muscle by restoring the flow of blood. It is crucial to receive medical attention within an hour of when a heart attack begins.

Ironically, Courteau says that most of her patients in cardiac rehab are men. “The average person does cardiac rehab three times a week for 4 - 6 weeks. Rehab helps patients understand what the healthy parameters are for them,” she explained. “Some people need therapy for just a couple of weeks – long enough to discover the level of their safe, target heart rate zone and then incorporate that into an at-home exercise routine.”

Courteau recommends that everyone know their personal statistics. “When it comes to being healthy, there is so much we can do to empower ourselves,” she stated emphatically. “Know your numbers, such as blood pressure and cholesterol.”

Although family health history plays an important role in your health, lifestyle also greatly influences the risk of developing heart disease. Controllable risk factors include:
• High cholesterol
• High blood pressure
• Smoking
• Physical inactivity
• Obesity/overweight
• Diabetes

KNOW YOUR NUMBERS!
The Following are Healthy Recommendations:
• Total Cholesterol should be < 200.
• LDL Cholesterol < 100
• HDL Cholesterol < 50
• Triglycerides < 150
• Blood Glucose < 100
• Blood Pressure < 120/80
• Body Mass Index < 25
• Waist circumference < 35
• Minimum Exercise – At least 30 minutes most days
• Zero smoke exposure

For more info explore the website: my.americanheart.org
The Mille Lacs Health System schedules these cardiac specialists at the Onamia Clinic. Each is on staff at CentraCare Heart Center in St. Cloud:
Dr. Richard Backes
Specialty: Cardiology
Medical School: Mayo Medical School, Rochester, MN
Residency: Internal Medicine, Mayo Graduate School of Medicine, Rochester, MN
Fellow: American College of Cardiology
Fellowship: Cardiovascular Disease, Mayo Graduate School of Medicine, Rochester, MN
Board Certified: Cardiology, Internal Medicine
Special Clinical Interests: Heart disease prevention, congestive heart failure and cardiac disease in the elderly.

MLHS (Onamia Clinic) Schedule: 3rd Tuesday of each month.

Dr. Richard Aplin
Specialty: Cardiology
Medical School: University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN
Residency: Internal Medicine, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Hanover, NH
Fellow: American College of Cardiology
Fellowship: Cardiovascular Medi-Dr. Richard Alpin cine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Hanover, NH
Board Certified: Internal Medicine and Cardiology
Member: American Medical Association, American Heart Association, American Society Echocardiography, American College of Cardiology, and Stearns-Benton County Medical Society
Special Clinical Interests: Interventional cardiology, transesophageal echocardiography, data acquisition, and quality assurance

MLHS (Onamia Clinic) Schedule: 4th Tuesday of each month.