Cardiac Arrest

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Cardiac Arrest

NewsChannel 6 reporter Johnette Worak interviews a participant in the Cardiac Arrest series at WBH.

Are you at risk for heart disease? You may be and not even know it. In fact, some research indicates that as many as one in six people may have undiagnosed heart disease.
    NewsChannel 6 recently took these statistics and developed it into a special series called “Cardiac Arrest.” The television station teamed with Western Baptist and Lourdes hospitals, the Purchase District Health Department and two area businesses to take a first-hand look at how heart disease and its symptoms often go undetected.
    Employees from NewPage in Wickliffe and Electric Energy, Inc. of Joppa, Ill. participated in the series.
    Four NewPage employees came to Baptist for their work-ups after being selected through preliminary screening criteria, including a review of family history and completion of a risk assessment for heart disease.
    They arrived in mid-January at Baptist, where they were met by hospital staff, as well as physicians and staff from The Heart Group, NewsChannel 6 reporter Johnette Worak and photographer Chad Darnall.
    After initial screenings, all four patients were referred for additional tests. Two underwent stress echoes, while the other two were examined using Baptist’s 64-slice CT scanner.
    None had significant cardiac conditions, but all participants were found to be at increased risk due to elevated cholesterol and blood sugar levels. One patient was found to have pre-diabetic and potential kidney problems which the cardiologist, Patrick Withrow, M.D., shared with his primary care physician.
    A male participant said his participation in the study was especially gratifying. "Due to my family history of heart problems combined with my high cholesterol, I agreed to participate in this study,” he said. “I found the staff at Western Baptist to be very attentive, knowledgeable and helpful in providing information."
    Kenneth Ford, M.D., with The Heart Group, said the findings of the study are not surprising.
    “Too often, we treat patients who have experienced a significant cardiac episode and had no prior knowledge of being at risk for heart disease,” said Ford. “By knowing your risk factors, taking appropriate steps to eliminate or reduce those risk factors and educating yourself, heart disease statistics can be decreased and our population will be more healthy.”
    The series, which aired in early February, was part of a joint community effort to educate people in our community on heart disease awareness and prevention. Western Baptist Hospital President Larry Barton says he is proud of the hospital’s commitment to those initiatives.
    “Western Baptist Hospital was pleased to partner in this project,” said Barton. “As a regional leader in cardiac care, Baptist makes many efforts to inform our community of the risks of heart disease. We appreciate the assistance of WPSD-TV and NewPage in taking this message to the region’s residents.”
    Western Baptist Hospital’s Marketing department extends appreciation to all employees and staff involved with this series.