by DrCiuffo | Aug 15, 2022 | Blog, Heart Health, Uncategorized
Changes To Make For Heart Disease Prevention There are plenty of myths surrounding heart health, including fad diets, fitness routines, and “miracle” cures that are marketed as a magic bullet against heart problems. The truth is, heart disease prevention takes diligence and a thoughtful approach to diet and exercise, but some basic steps can help protect your heart health for the long term. Smoking Cessation Smokers have some of the highest instances of heart problems and heart attacks of any population. The carbon monoxide in smoke replaces some of the oxygen in your blood, forcing the heart to work harder to deliver enough oxygen to your body. While that is already a large issue, tobacco contains chemicals that can cause plaque buildup in the arteries, leading to a heart attack. Both of these issues can substantially affect your heart’s function, and eventually, help lead to further problems. Smoking cessation can reduce your chances of heart problems significantly. Exercise Though many adults don’t have time in their schedules or the motivation to take on a strenuous exercise program, even a moderate increase in exercise can have an impact on your heart health. At least 30 minutes a day of moderate exercise, like walking at a brisk pace, is great support for your heart. When combined with diet, increased exercise not only increases heart health, it helps raise levels of serotonin, the feel-good chemical, as well as reduces anxiety, depression, and moodiness. Diet The word “diet” has taken on a negative connotation for many. It is not necessary to embrace a lifestyle of starvation and salads to increase your heart health.... 
by DrCiuffo | Apr 15, 2022 | Uncategorized
No matter what stage of life you are in, healthy nutrition is important to maintain good health, prevent many diseases, feel good, and is vital for our hearts. In this blog we will answer the question, what changes should I make before and after heart surgery. Heart disease is the number one cause of death of women and men in the United States. If that doesn’t alarm you I don’t know what will. If heart surgery is on the horizon for you, you can prepare with some lifestyle changes and know what needs to change once you are in recovery. Changes to Make Before Heart Surgery Quit smoking because it inhibits the body’s ability to heal. If you have diabetes be sure to keep your blood sugars well controlled. High blood sugar also makes it hard for our bodies to heal. You want to have quality nutrition before entering surgery. Our bodies get stressed when we are sick or have surgeries, so it is important to have good nutrition before surgery to help you heal faster after your surgery is completed. If your normal routine is healthy then don’t change your system. If you notice you’ve had a poor diet and haven’t been eating normally and have lost some weight, try finding foods and drinks you can have that will give you the calories you need. You don’t want to be losing weight and on a strict diet before surgery. Changes to Make After Heart Surgery After heart surgery, you will again want to be having good nutrition. After heart surgery, your body will need more protein and enough calories... by DrCiuffo | Apr 22, 2021 | Uncategorized
Minimally invasive heart surgery utilizes healthcare professionals in cardiac, surgery, cardiac anesthesiologist, perfusionist, assistants, and nurses in the operating room. Each professional brings their specialized and unique expertise which is important to ensure the best possible outcome for the patient. There are some disadvantages to consider when looking into minimally invasive heart surgery. There are also some great advantages. Disadvantages of Minimally Invasive Heart Surgery Not Everyone is a Candidate To be a candidate for minimally invasive surgery you have to have a blocked or diseased vessel on the left side of the heart only. Or a requirement can be you had not previously had bypass surgery as well as no preexisting scar tissue on the heart or chest. A disadvantage of minimally invasive heart surgery is not everyone is a good candidate for the procedure. Surgeons are researching new ways to apply the surgery so overtime more and more people will be able to benefit from the procedure. Long Time in the Operating Room Another disadvantage of Minimally Invasive Heart Surgery is the surgery takes a longer time in the operating room. Advantages of Minimally Invasive Heart Surgery Shorten Recovery Time There is a smaller incision during minimally invasive surgery, which means there is less of a wound to heal. When less healing is needed, your body can heal quickly and reduce the recovery period from four to eight weeks with conventional open surgery to two to four weeks with minimally invasive surgery. There will also be less pain and the incision will go away more quickly because of the smaller incision. This allows for the advantage of... by DrCiuffo | Feb 5, 2020 | Articles, Blog, Dr. Giovanni B Ciuffo, Heart Health, Heart Surgery, Minimally Invasive Heart Surgeons, Minimally Invasive Heart Surgery, Uncategorized
What is a Pulse Deficit? The concept of a pulse deficit can be both confusing and frightening if you’re not a member of the medical community, but it has a direct bearing on the health of your heart and can be life threatening if not treated properly and allowed to get worse. It sounds confusing, but is quite simple. When your heart beats, it sends blood through the arteries of your body. This produces a noticeable pulse which can be felt. Normally these two events are in synch, but it is when they are not in synch, the pulse and the beat of your heart, that problems can arise. What Causes a Pulse Deficit? There are several causes for a pulse deficit, some of which are not necessarily indicators of heart disease, such as heavy exercise. Other causes of a pulse deficit are not so innocent, however, and can include low blood pressure, periods of extreme anxiety or stress, extended periods of chronic pain, and bodily injury or trauma, including blood loss. What happens when there is a pulse deficit is that when the heart beats, but there is no pulse of blood that comes after. This creates a pulse deficit. How is it Treated? Observing that someone has a pulse deficit is fairly straightforward. A doctor or nurse listens to your chest with a stethoscope and notes the heartbeat, but when they attempt to take your pulse, do not notice the same number of pulse beats. The symptoms of pulse deficit include a noticeably decreased resting heart rate and a long-term consistent history of having a different resting... by DrCiuffo | Jan 30, 2020 | Articles, Blog, Dr. Giovanni B Ciuffo, Heart Health, Heart Surgery, Minimally Invasive Heart Surgeons, Minimally Invasive Heart Surgery, Uncategorized
LIMA LAD is a life-saving procedure for your heart. What LIMA LAD does is open your heart’s blood flow by involving two different arterys. These are the left internal mammary artery and the left anterior descending artery, or LIMA LAD for short. This minimally invasive procedure results in a tiny scar that hides under the fold in your breast. What Do The LIMA LAD Organs Do? Your LAD is meant for being able to carry your blood around the heart. It does this by traveling between your right ventricle at the front of your heart and the left as well. When blocked, blood can’t make its way to its appropriate destination. When this happens, it means your heart struggles as well. The LIMA, on the other hand, is on the heart’s left side. When blockages settle in the vessels around your heart due to heart disease, it puts a strain on your heart. That, in turn, will keep your heart from pumping the way that it should. When you can receive a heart surgery that is both bloodless and invasive on a minimal level, it will create a new route for your blood to flow. A catheter will be placed into the area of the blockage, and it has a balloon tip. The balloon is inflated to stretch the vessel gently. When it does this, it will release the blockage. What Benefit Do We Receive from a Minimally Invasive Surgery? When you have minimally invasive surgery, particularly a bloodless one, the procedure is low impact and one of the best options. With these new techniques being adopted, the... by DrCiuffo | Sep 4, 2019 | Coronary Surgery, Articles, Blog, Dr. Giovanni B Ciuffo, Heart Health, Heart Surgery, Minimally Invasive Heart Surgeons, Minimally Invasive Heart Surgery, Recovery, Uncategorized
Heart surgery is one of the most sophisticated and complex types of surgery. It is demanding and requires an excellent team of physicians, assistants, and support personnel. Minimally invasive heart surgery significantly decreases the amount of trauma and damage to the patient and makes for a much easier recovery. What is Bloodless Heart Surgery? Related to advances in heart surgery, bloodless surgery has made great strides since the 1990s. Instead of using transfusions to replace blood lost during surgery, great efforts are made to reduce bleeding during surgery and harmonic scalpels clot blood while cutting tissue. Hemostatics stop bleeding before, during, and after surgery. Bleeding vessels can be sealed by an argon beam coagulator. Also, what blood is lost during the procedure is collected and returned to the patient’s circulatory system. Bloodless surgery avoids complications of transfusion, including disease (negligible risk), depression of immune system function, allergic reaction to additives in stored blood, and inflammatory response. Avoiding transfusions can make for a better recovery after heart surgery. Combining minimal blood loss with minimally invasive heart surgery can give excellent results for recovery, even with elderly or frail patients, who would have been a poor risk with earlier kinds of techniques. Still, the doctor’s skill and experience are important factors in how well the surgery, and the recovery, go. Does This Surgery Cause Scarring? Usually, minimally invasive heart surgery is done with a two-inch incision between the ribs. So, unlike earlier versions of heart surgery, bones do not have to be broken to gain access to the heart. Given time after surgery, the scar can fade to where it is...
