“I remember hearing the helicopter. Thump-thump-thump, like a heartbeat. But after that, I don’t remember.” Jan Leakey credits her best friend, Pam Russell, with saving her life. Pam insisted that Jan go to an urgent care center in Clayton. It turned out Jan was having a heart attack. By the time she arrived via life flight at Northeast Georgia Medical Center […]
Heart disease affects both men and women, but many still believe it is primarily a concern for men. However, women are equally at risk for heart disease, including heart failure, which is often overlooked. In fact, heart disease causes more deaths in women each year than all types of cancer combined, including breast cancer. Heart […]
You’ve been diagnosed with cardiac amyloidosis and have begun treatment. But what’s next? Any time you receive a major medical diagnosis, it’s entirely normal to have many questions. You may wonder what’s ahead for you, including your overall prognosis. While your team of medical providers can offer you more detail about your specific medical prognosis, […]
When it comes to heart health, we often hear about heart attacks and heart disease. But heart failure affects more than 6 million Americans. How much do you know about this condition? Let’s dispel one common misconception right off the bat. If you’re diagnosed with heart failure, it doesn’t mean your heart is going to […]
When discussing heart health, heart failure isn’t always the first condition that comes to mind. However, it is a serious and prevalent health issue that affects millions of Americans. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than five million American adults are living with heart failure. Despite its widespread impact, many […]
Author: Ugochukwu O. Egolum, MD, FACC At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March, we noticed a sharp decline in the number of patients with worsening heart failure being admitted to Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) – possibly due to fear of contracting the virus. Our research was based on looking at what happened to […]
Written by: The Northeast Georgian Patients with advanced heart failure now have an option for treatment other than heart transplant, thanks to a technology the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved in 2017 known as HeartMate 3 Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD), a battery-operated, mechanical pump that helps pump blood to the rest of […]
Northeast Georgia Health System patient, David T., recently underwent a heart failure procedure to implant a left ventricular assist device (LVAD). In this short video, David outlines his journey with heart failure and how an LVAD device changed his life. An LVAD is a mechanical pump that is implanted alongside a patient’s heart. It is […]