Heart Sense for Woman

The Hudson Valley Heart Center knows how to treat a woman.

Since 1984 more women have died of cardiac disease than men making heart disease the # 1 killer among women. A staggering one in every three women will die of heart disease.

But the Women’s Cardiac Care Program at the Hudson Valley Heart Center is working hard to change these startling statistics. We provide expertise and technology combined with strategic communications women need to win this critical battle. Our program doesn’t treat women as a man’s equal; we treat them differently because women are up against a different, more difficult foe. Cardiovascular disease presents itself differently in women. What’s more, many cardiac centers are focused squarely on men and often do not provide women with the special attention they require. Only recently has the media brought heart disease in women to the country’s awareness. Only now are many women beginning to see that they need special care and that they often must advocate for themselves in order to find it.

We believe we are at the vanguard of the changing world of heart health for women. The Hudson Valley’s premier center for cardiovascular care employs the latest clinical research, imaging techniques, and minimally invasive procedures to provide state-of-the-art, comprehensive management of heart and vascular disease.

So call us today. Same day appointments. No referrals necessary.

Symptoms of heart attack in women

• Shortness of breath, often without chest pain of any kind
• Flu-like symptoms — specifically nausea, clamminess or cold sweats
• Unexplained fatigue, weakness or dizziness
• Pain in the chest, upper back, shoulders, neck, or jaw.
• Feelings of anxiety, loss of appetite, discomfort

Some Heart Facts

1. T or F An aspirin a day works as well for women as it does for men in preventing first heart attacks.
   
   False. Daily use of aspirin has shown to be less effective in the prevention of a first heart attack in women.
2. T or F:  Men are more likely to have a heart attack without chest pain.
   
   False. Women more often experience a heart attack with no pain.
3. T or F:  Women who are hospitalized with a heart attack are more likely to die in the hospital.
   
   True. This is a startling statistic that fortunately is changing.
4. T or F: There is no difference in the use of cardiac catheterization—a key test to determine optimal treatment—between women and men.
   
   False. Many facilities do not make use of this procedure as often in women.
5. T or F: Women develop heart disease later than men.
   
   True. Some hormones actually protect the heart.
6. T or F: Smoking increases a woman’s risk of heart disease more than a man’s.
   
   True. Since smoking affects estrogen levels, this bad habit is even more deadly for women.
7. T or F: All women with heart disease have fatty plaque in their arteries.
   
   False. Some women—especially younger women—have no plaque in their arteries.

Coming to us for the first time? here's what you should expect:

Your first visit will be with one of our Board Certified Cardiologists. During this visit you will receive information on women and heart disease and have a complete history and physical exam. Diagnostic testing may be ordered, and could involve several basic tests (i.e. lab work, stress test, etc.). On occasion, a "Calcium Score" may be indicated. This is a quick, painless assessment of the amount of calcific plaque burden in your coronary arteries, a red flag for heart disease. Results of the testing will then be phoned to you by the cardiologist.

If any of the tests raise concern, further testing may be needed and your cardiologist will discuss this with you.
If results are normal, your second visit will be with one of our experienced Nurse Practitioners or Physician Assistants. You will be provided with your "Personalized Treatment Plan," strategies to control current or future risk of heart disease, and educational and support materials.

Some of the tests we perform here are:

• Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) to assess heartbeats, heart damage, blood flow problems in the arteries, heart enlargement, and more.
• Stress tests that analyze the heart's electrical response to physical activity.
• Calcium Scoring to assess the amount of calcific plaque burden in your coronary arteries.
• Nuclear scan or Thallium stress that reveals the presence or absence of blood flow abnormalities to the heart muscle, and much more information.
• Echocardiography that visualizes the heart's internal structure and blood flow.
• 64-slice CT Angiograms that provide incredibly detailed images of the heart and total circulatory system.

 When you become a patient at Hudson Valley Heart Center, you’ll be surrounded by the care you need to combat America’s Most Deadly Disease. And that’s important, because even though heart disease is our country’s number one killer, it’s also a disease that can be effectively treated and many times cured.

Use Heart Sense, and put your heart in the right place—at the top of your mind and in the care of the Hudson Valley’s foremost center for cardiovascular care.