February is American Heart Month

What you need to know about heart disease and what you can do

• Talk to your Healthcare Provider
• Consider getting a Cardiovascular Assessment
• Quit Smoking
• Make Lifestyle Modifications: Watch your diet and maintain a healthy weight
• Increase your Activity Level: Develop an exercise plan to get at least 30 minutes of any type of moderate intensity physical activity several days a week
• Control your Diabetes: Controlling blood sugar levels can make a big impact on risk reduction

Risk Factors

To keep your life on track and your heart healthy, know your risk factors and how to take control of them.

Controllable
• Smoking
• High Cholesterol
• High Blood Pressure
• Obesity
• Physical Inactivity
• Diabetes
• Stress and Anger

Uncontrollable
• Age and Gender
• Family History of Heart Disease
• Race

CardioVascular Institute Links

• CardioVascular Institute main
• CVI Team
• CVI Outreach Clinics
• Women and Heart Disease
• External Counter Pulsation (ECP)
• VNUS closure procedure

Click here to find physicians that specialize in heart care.

Because how you feel, affects more than just your day.

Would you know if you were having a heart attack? Some heart attacks are sudden and intense — but most start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort. Often people aren’t sure what’s wrong and wait too long before getting help. If you experience any of the symptoms below, call 911 or go directly to the hospital.

Men's Symptoms

• Dramatic onset of sudden pressure, fullness, squeezing or pain in the center of the chest
• Sudden onset of rapid heartbeats
• Fainting or Sweating
• Shortness of breath

Women's Symptoms

• Slight discomfort in the chest
• Warning signs appear to be only stress or indigestion
• Shortness of breath, fatigue
• Pain below left shoulder blade or back
• Pain or tingling in the jaw, elbow, arm or throat