Smart Stethoscope Hits The Market, Making Heart Murmur Detection Easier

Doctor Robert Califf in white color coat and colorful tie

AARP The Magazine had some amazing stories in its October/November 22 issue regarding innovations in health care.  One new device on the market is a “smart stethoscope” which can detect even the slightest heart murmur.  “Five to 10 percent of people we screen have some sort of valvular heart disease or atrial fibrillation,” Dr. Antoine Keller, a cardiothoracic surgeon and co-founder of HeartSense, told AARP The Magazine.  “This stethoscope allows doctors to identify heart murmurs before they can be heard,” he said.  Heart-valve disease affects 8.5% to 13.2% of adults over the age of 65 so early detection is critical.

Taking Care Of Yourself After A Heart Attack

The odds of getting cardiovascular disease in our 60’s are 77.5% for males (females are lower with 75.4% between the ages of 60-79), according to the American Heart Association.  Taking care of your heart means reducing obesity, high blood pressure and cholesterol, managing diabetes if you have it, and limiting alcohol.  Common symptoms of a heart attack are chest pain or discomfort, shortness of breath, feeling faint or weak, and pain in your jaw, neck, back, arms or shoulder.  You also need a good exercise regimen to stimulate blood flow.  “Even as little as a 5-10 percent decrease in your body weight can have a huge effect on your blood pressure and other risk factors,” Dr. Donald Lloyd-Jones, president of the American Heart Association, or AHA, told AARP Bulletin.

Take Your Pills On A Set Schedule, Research Shows

A nurse holding the old man's shoulder and posing

The Wall Street Journal had an interesting article recently on the fact that since our physiology and biochemistry change dramatically through the course of each day, that medicines are more effective when taken on a set schedule.  The term for this is chronopharmacology which states that medications and treatments should be taken on a set schedule when they are proven to be most effective.  This is especially important in the case of heart attacks and strokes, two of the leading causes of death in the U.S., responsible for almost 900K deaths annually.

Reduce Weight And Cut Your Cardiovascular risk Factors

An obese person holding the cheese burger in his hand

Obesity is a huge problem in our country, and can lead to heart attack, stroke , high blood pressure and many other negative health impacts.  Lowering your cholesterol and limiting alcohol can also reduce your risk of a major cardiovascular event like a heart attack.  The odds of getting cardiovascular disease in our 60’s are high.  77.5% of males and 75.4% of females between the ages of 60 to 79 have it, according to the American Heart Association (AHA).  Common symptoms of a heart attack are chest pain or discomfort, shortness of breath, feeling faint or weak, and pain in your jaw, neck, back arms or shoulders.  Other signs include unexplained fatigue, nausea, vomiting and light-headedness.  “Even as little as a 5 to 10 percent decrease in your body weight can have a huge effect on your blood pressure and other risk factors,” Dr. Donald Lloyd-Jones, president of the AHA, told AARP Bulletin (August-September Issue, page 51).

More Voices Come Out Against Aspirin For Heart Attack And Stroke Prevention

In the old days, it was thought by many medical professionals that a daily dose of aspirin could ward off heart disease.  In recent years, more and more studies have turned the tide away from the popularity of recommending a daily dose of aspirin.  This year, the United States Preventing Services Task Force (USPSTF) came out strongly against those over 60 years old who have not had a heart attack or stroke, specifically citing the risks of internal bleeding which would outweigh any benefit.  Adults who have a stent or have had a previous heart attack or stroke should not stop taking aspirin.

Sleep Extremely Important For Staying In Good Health

A Hospice Nurse visiting an Elderly male patient

As we get older, we often sleep less than we did when we were younger.  However, that may not be a good thing.  The American Heart Association recommends that adults get seven to nine hours of sleep per night.  Just last month they added sleep to its list of factors critical to heart health, a list that includes seven others such as diet, physical activity and blood pressure.  Their report jibes with a widening scientific consensus on the role sleep plays in helping prevent heart disease.  “The more we learn, the more we know how instrumental sleep is to heart health,” Marie-Pierre St-Onge, associate professor of nutritional medicine and director of the Sleep Center of Excellence at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, told The Wall Street Journal.

Doctors Not Picking Up On Symptoms Of Heart Disease In Women

A doctor showing the report to the senior female patient

There was a disturbing story in The New York Times which reported that new research found that women may not realize that they are having symptoms of heart problems, and that their doctors aren’t picking up on it either.  Studies have shown that women are more likely than men to dismiss the warning signs of a heart attack, sometimes waiting hours or even longer before calling 911 or going to the hospital.  Now researchers are finding that this may be due to the fact that women have less serious symptoms than men when having a heart attack, and doctors have also been downplaying their symptoms and delaying treatment.  Women sometimes have no chest pain but rather have more subtle symptoms like shortness of breath, cold sweats, malaise, fatigue and jaw and back pain.  And when they do get to the hospital, a study which was published in the Journal of the American Heart Association which studied data from millions of emergency room visits before the pandemic, found women complaining of chest pain had to wat an average of 11 minutes more than men to see a doctor or nurse.  The study also found that women were less likely to be admitted to the hospital, had less thorough evaluations, and were less likely to be administered tests like an electrocardiogram, or EKG, which can detect heart problems.  One study found that women complaining of symptoms consistent with heart disease, including chest pain, were twice as likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness than men who complained of identical symptoms.

Sneaky Sigs You May Have Heart Disease

AARP The Magazine (February/March 2022, page 22) had an interesting article entitled “10 Sneaky Signs You May Have Heart Disease” and many of them are completely unexpected.  Things like bad breath and hip pain can actually be signs of heart disease.  Check out the Top 10 signs from AARP:

  1. You struggle to breathe when lying flat : This can indicate fluid in the lungs, which is associated with heart failure;
  2. You have leg or hip pain while walking (or both). This could signal circulation problems in the legs, a potential sign of peripheral artery disease;
  3. You can’t rise to the occasion : This could signal a blood-flow problem, potentially caused by heart disease;
  4. Or get your juices flowing : Blood-flow issues aren’t just for men. A study found that 84% of men and 87% of women with heart failure reported some degree of sexual disfunction;
  5. You’re fatigued for no reason : This could be a sign of an obstructed coronary artery;
  6. You get up to pee in the middle of the night : A weak heart pumps less blood to the kidneys, which can cause fluid buildup and swollen ankles and leg. At bedtime, gravity drains fluid back to the heart, and the kidneys have more fluid to filter;
  7. Your breath could kill houseplants : Bad breath is caused by bacteria which can enter your bloodstream through bleeding or diseased gums, which is linked to inflammation, clogged arteries and stroke;
  8. You spot fatty growths : Known as xanthomas, these lesions feel like calcium deposits in the tendons, and they can indicate sky-high cholesterol;
  9. Your ankles are swollen : When the heart isn’t pumping blood efficiently, fluid can swell both legs; and
  10. You’re feeling nauseous : Unexplained queasiness could be a sign of heart failure.

Check with your doctor if you have any of these issues, particularly if it has been going on for some time.

 

Senior Obesity A Big Problem For Seniors

A doctor is measuring the obese belly of the man

Obesity is a big problem in America, with 74% of the population overweight.  As you grow older, you likely will become more sedentary which can result in senior obesity.  This can create a domino effect of health issues such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer and a high risk of stroke.  Lisa Young, a registered dietitian nutritionist and the author of “Finally Full, Finally Slim” recently gave a speech at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo has a number of tips to help you keep the weight off.  One of the more helpful ones is “Mindful eating is a tool to help with weight loss.  It helps you focus on your hunger and fullness levels, so you are eating because you are hungry, and you want that food – not because a big portion is in front of you.”  Mindful or Intuitive eating can also help you ask yourself, “Do I like this food” or “Am I really hungry?’  This ultimately helps you eat a smaller portion and can lead to weight loss.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/10/health/lose-weight-healthfully-mindful-eating-wellness/index.html

A-Fib Help Without Using Blood Thinners

Blood thinners are used by seniors for a variety of ailments.  However, they can be an issue if you have a fall or need to have emergency surgery as they can cause excessive bleeding.  Some people are turning to a new treatment for A-Fib which is an implant that seals off a fingertip-size pouch on the heart.  During A-Fib, blood can pool in the pouch, clot and travel to the brain, Robert Hauser M.D., who sketched the Watchman’s initial design, told AARP The Magazine (October/November 2021 Issue, page 54).  Surgeons implant the device by threading it through blood vessels.  An analysis of more than 36K people who have had the device implanted since it debuted in 2015 found that it reduced the risk of stroke by 70% and made the use of the blood thinner warfarin necessary.