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Shands UF and UF Physicians have a strong focus on strong hearts
When the University of Florida specialists at Shands at UF explain that a woman’s heart is different from a man’s, they’re not being sentimental. “Approximately the same number of women and men die each year of heart disease in the United States,” reports Jamie Beth Conti, MD, UF’s chief of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine and one of seven female specialists at UF. [ Find out your heart attack risk ] “However, compared with men, women are twice as likely to die within the first two weeks following a heart attack.” A strong focus on women’s heart health is a special interest of UF physicians. [ Listen as Drs. Anderson and Jois discuss heart attacks in this audio podcast ] “Residents of north Florida are fortunate to have a referral center for women’s heart health close to home. For example, most pregnant patients from the area with uncontrolled arrhythmias are referred to our care,” says Dr. Conti, a past president of the Florida Chapter of the American College of Cardiology and the Chapter’s immediate past governor. [ Watch a video about the Mini-Maze procedure ] Ranked 24th in the nation by U.S.News & World Report for 2009, UF cardiologists offer a comprehensive program for women in all stages of cardiovascular health, from prevention and sophisticated diagnostics, to leading-edge medical, surgical and interventional treatments. [ Learn more about UF cardiologists ]
Leaders in Advanced Technologies UF physicians are world-class clinicians, with national and international leaders in cardiology, thoracic and cardiovascular surgery, and vascular surgery. Many have been responsible for developing some of the newest medical procedures. Two of the faculty, Dr. C. Richard Conti and Dr. Carl Pepine are past presidents of the American College of Cardiology. Dr. Pepine is principal investigator for the NHLBI-funded Women’s Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation and the Cardiovascular Cell Therapy Research Network. “We are very excited about the potential of using stem cells to help grow new blood vessels for patients who have insufficient blood flow through the arteries,” says Dr. Pepine. [ Read about seven simple ways to improve the health of your heart ] Additionally, UF cardiologists provide other advanced technologies at Shands at UF including a multidisciplinary program to treat a dangerous arrhythmia known as atrial fibrillation. UF specialists in clinical electrophysiology and a heart surgeon treat properly selected patients with an ablation procedure that precisely destroys cells that trigger the irregular heartbeat, leaving normal tissues nearby unharmed. [ Learn about minimally invasive heart surgery on this Shands HealthCast ] UF physicians practicing at Shands are the only resource in the region offering alcohol septal ablation, a minimally invasive procedure for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy--a condition in which the heart muscles become thickened. As those with congenital heart disease are reaching adulthood in greater numbers, heart specialists at Shands at UF and Shands Children’s Hospital work together to aid the transition of these patients from pediatric care to adult care. “Women in north Florida have a resource that’s unrivaled anywhere,” concludes Dr. Conti. “The physicians who oversee their care are the same internationally recognized authorities and researchers who are defining the future of cardiovascular medicine.” Web ExtrasWomen's Advantage - Strategies for Heart Health Pediatric heart care at Shands UF Heart Healthy Recipies for Women UF Division of Cardiovascular Medicine UF Division of Surgery, Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery |
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