J. Michael Frangiskakis,
MD, PhD, Cardiologist
Giving your heart
a hand
Specialized care for when your heart is overworked
HELP YOUR HEART
If you have heart failure, talk to your provider about
a referral to the Heart Failure Resource Center at Aspirus
Cardiovascular Associates. For more information,
call
800-441-4013
.
ACCORDING
to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), nearly a third of all American adults age 18
and older have high blood pressure. While high blood pressure
may not cause any immediate problems, it can have dangerous
long-term effects that can lead to more serious issues.
“Blood pressure can impact our health in many ways, so it’s
important for people to check their blood pressure and take
action if it is high,” said J. Michael Frangiskakis, MD, PhD,
cardiologist at Aspirus Cardiovascular Associates.
One condition high blood pressure increases your risk for is
heart failure, which is when your heart doesn’t pump as well as it
should. Heart failure often occurs when high blood pressure or
another underlying condition causes additional wear and tear on
the heart over time by forcing it to pump harder than normal.
“Despite its name, heart failure doesn’t mean the heart has
completely stopped working,” Dr. Frangiskakis said. “It just
means that it isn’t distributing blood to the rest of the body as
efficiently as it should. Heart failure can cause circulation
issues and can cause excess fluid buildup in the body, so it’s
important to monitor and manage the condition with the help
of medical professionals.”
People with heart failure can require
regular medical attention and are at
a higher risk for hospitalization due
to the effects heart failure has on the
body. To help people with heart failure
manage their condition and avoid
hospitalizations, Aspirus Cardiovascular
Associates offers a specialized clinic
called the Heart Failure Resource Center.
Support system
At the resource center, a team of
medical professionals provides education on medications,
diet, exercise, monitoring of symptoms and other topics in an
outpatient setting. The team also provides close follow-up with
clinic visits and provides support in monitoring symptoms.
Patients who can benefit from the Heart Failure Resource
Center include:
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Patients with increasing heart failure symptoms.
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Patients at risk of readmission to the hospital due to their
heart failure.
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Patients with a new diagnosis of heart failure.
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Emergency department patients who need help getting rid
of excess fluid in the body, but not hospital admission.
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Patients discharged with a diagnosis of heart failure.
Women from Langlade Hospital participate in National Wear Red Day for heart health awareness.
