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Taking Charge of His Heart Health
Being conscientious about
your heart health can save your life.
Fred Armstrong is a doctor's dream:
He eats well, exercises regularly,
and knows he is his own first line of
defense against health problems.
"My attitude is that my health is my
personal responsibility," he says. "Doctors
are people you call for help, but you have
to be in charge."
He also knows when to seek help. "I used
to go to the gym about three times a week,"
Fred says. But one day while he was there,
something didn't feel right. Though he wasn't
in pain, he had it checked out right away.
His doctor referred him to a cardiologist.
Edward Choi, M.D., a specialist at
Jersey Shore University Medical Center,
ordered a stress test, or electrocardiogram,
to evaluate his condition. "Fred immediately
went into a condition called atrial
flutter, which is where the upper chambers
of the heart beat very fast," Dr. Choi says.
Sometimes medication alone can solve
the problem, and for Fred it seemed to
help — for a while. But then his condition
changed — and Fred again knew just
what to do. "I was at home and felt funny.
I checked my blood pressure and the
machine wouldn't stop beeping. I told my
wife we needed to get to Jersey Shore."
Fred was admitted to the hospital and
stayed for 10 days. But his heart rate could
not be controlled, so he was referred to
Charles Koo, M.D., an electrophysiologist.
Electrophysiologists specialize in the electrical
activity of the heart.
"We identified an issue around the heart
valve in the right atrium. But our imaging
study also showed a tremendous amount
of activity in the left atrium, as Fred was
also in atrial fibrillation, where the electrical
signals in the upper chambers of the
heart are fired in an uncontrolled manner,"
Dr. Koo explains. "Mr. Armstrong had two
separate abnormal heart rhythms occurring
simultaneously — typical atrial flutter and
paroxysmal atrial fibrillation."
Though his condition was dangerous,
Fred was at the right place: Jersey Shore's
electrophysiologists and cardiac surgeons
are known nationally for their skill in treating
atrial fibrillation.
To stop the abnormal heart rhythm,
Dr. Koo performed two ablations — procedures
in which a radio-frequency technique
is used to block the activity that is
causing the arrhythmia to start.
Combined with beta-blocker medications
and a monitoring device, the condition
can be controlled.
Fred is now feeling better, and gaining
his energy back each day. "All the guys
at the gym know Jersey Shore is the heart
hospital," he says. "Everyone there is very
dedicated to their patients and true experts
in the field."
 – Ryan Younger
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